trials of living
by BMIK
Summary: Living together seems more of an ordeal than Kadaj, Yazoo, Loz and Sephiroth thought it would be... AU, Sephiroth/Yazoo, light Loz/Tifa sequel to 'abuse', but can be read without knowing 'abuse' COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there again! This is, as promised, the first chapter for the sequel of ´abuse´. So if you haven´t read that, I recommend you either do, or you are reading the short summary I´ll put at the end of the chapter, for I don´t want to spoil anything yet for those who are willing to read 'abuse'...**

**As I said, this one will focus more on the relationship of Sephiroth and Yazoo... Ah, just read it :)**

**Many, many thanks to my beta j.sakurachan1, who, despite an injured hand, managed to read through this so fast again, and helped me with a title for the story! (actually, the credits for the title go entirely to her. Thanks again!)**

1

It was only one more hour before summer vacation, and Loz didn't know if he should be happy or sad. First off, vacation meant: no school; which was something to gloat over, no question. Especially when he was sitting and sweating in this stupid classroom…Though he had to admit that the heat didn't come from the summer sun, since all the class rooms' had air conditioning, of course, but rather from the fact that today was the day that he'd get his school certificate. Which was another reason why he doubted that vacation would be fun, because he was sure that a certain general wouldn't approve of his grades. But, if he was lucky the man would just ignore him anyways.

Casting a side glance to his brother who sat in his seat with a straight back and waited for his name to be called with an unfazed expression (the lucky bastard), Loz let his gaze wander to the other side towards Tifa, who caught his look and smiled at him cutely. Turning a deep shade of red, Loz hastily dropped his eyes, and being so occupied in his embarrassment, he didn't even hear the principle call his name.

"Loz!" she repeated with a frown and the boy almost jumped to his feet, hastily announcing his presence.

"Yes!" Nervously he made his way towards the front desk, trying to ignore the others whispers and giggles.

"Well." The principle still frowned as she looked at his certificate and then let her sharp gaze rest on the sweating student. "I can congratulate you, you have managed to graduate with the by far worst certificate I've ever seen…"

"Ehehe, thanks?" Uncertainly scratching the back of his head Loz took his certificate, trying not to flinch under the principle's disapproving stare. He was lucky that she had such respect for his father otherwise she would have given him a good lecture. But instead she just settled with a, "Try harder next year, or do you want to trail behind your two years younger brother?" and released him.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Loz instantly packed away the offending note and waited until the principle was done praising his younger brother who had made at the top of the class again. After all the certificates had been handed out, the principle reminded them that vacation ought to be used to study even harder and prepare for the next year. She also announced that they would get another math teacher next year, not bothering to inform her students why. Then, finally, she released them into the summer heat.

Trotting through the bright halls behind Yazoo, Loz made a grumpy face, until someone was tapping him on his shoulder. Swirling around angrily, for he wasn't in the mood to get mocked by one of his stupid fellow class mates, he was confronted with dark chocolate eyes and two adoringly cute ponytails. "T-t-t-t-t-t-t-"

"Tifa." She helped him out, laughing.

Nervously clinging to his bag, Loz nodded, casting a desperate look towards his brother for help. Really, why was it always so hard to talk to her in person? It wasn't that bad over the phone! But maybe that was because he didn't get distracted by her boo-

"I see you're busy." The smooth, low voice of his sibling cut through his thoughts. "Well, then I'll see you at home. Have fun." Loz could almost hear the traitor smirking as he waved his hand in a good by and was off to his bike.

Tossing his bag at the bed, Yazoo went back to the floor, following the winding corridor quite a while through the big mansion, until he had reached his younger brother's room. Unlike Loz and himself he had finished school after the second class already, and as Yazoo suspected, had gone immediately to his room like had had always done in the past two weeks since 'the incident'.

His suspicion was proven right as he heard muffled voices from behind the door which made him cock an eyebrow. Since when had Kadaj started to speak to himself? After quickly knocking he came in, catching the boy as he swirled around from his bed and smiled brightly, albeit somewhat nervous at him. "HeyYazzy! How was school?"

"Fine." The other boy said, eyeing his brother suspiciously. Something was strange and the words 'strange' and 'Kadaj' in the same sentence usually indicated a major headache for him…

"Ah, I guess so. I bet you were the best again, eh?" the other boy beamed.

"Hn." Yazoo affirmed distractedly, searching the room for something out of place. As he couldn´t find anything suspicious, he focused his attention back at the younger, asking with slight interest "And? How about you?"

"Oh, I did okay…" the boy waved a hand, grabbing his certificate from the bed and handing it over to his brother who looked over it with an approving look. ""You did well."

"Ah, thanks." Giving the note back, Yazoo shot another look around the room, for Kadaj's nervous fidgeting didn't quite convince him that the boy wasn't planning something mischievous.

"You alright?" he asked warily.

"Of course, why shouldn't I?" the boy answered, blinking innocently.

"Hn." Yazoo grunted.

"Meow."

"Excuse me?"

"What? I didn't say anything." Kadaj smiled perplexedly.

"No, I mean there was just a strange noise right now, didn't you hear it?"

"Nooo." The boy stretched questioningly, looking at Yazoo as if he was mental. "You must have misheard. Hey, I know, why don't we go down and celebrate your awesome certificate with some pancakes?" licking his lips, the boy pushed his irritated brother towards the door, when another sound came from somewhere in the room.

"Meow."

Narrowing his eyes, Yazoo stopped. "I heard it loud and clear."

Looking at his younger brother accusingly, he inquired "Kadaj, what are you hiding in here?"

"Ah, it´s really nothing, something must be wrong with your ears, I bet it´s all the stress from learning-"

"Meow."

Yazoo ignored his brother's attempts to drag him out of the room and instead crouched down before the bed, lifting the blanked from the bottom.

"Meow." There from under the bed stared two green glowing eyes at him, not much unlike his own.

"Kadaj." came the exasperate growl as Yazoo reached for the creature and pulled out a small, silver haired kitten, that looked innocently up into the blank face that was staring down at it.

"Ah, that…"

"Yes?" Shifting his piercing gaze towards his younger brother, Yazoo demandingly lifted his chin.

"That´s… that´s Bernhard Heinrich Eisenherz von Stieglitz."

"Berhard Heinrich…" Yazoo echoed with a raised eyebrow, looking at the kitten that was dangling from his grip.

"Yeah… I found him on my way back from school… He has no home, I think his mother might have fallen victim to a car, and now he´s all alone and he´s so very small and frail, I bet he will die if we leave him on his own, so… Can I keep him?" the boy explained in one breath, giving his brother the puppy eyes.

"Keep him? I don´t think so-"

"Pleaaaaaaaaaaseeee?" Yazoo was suddenly attacked in a tight hug that almost made him drop the kitten. "I promise he won´t make any trouble, and I will look after him all myself, so please, please, please?"

"Kadaj-" Yazoo tried to breathe, unwrapping his brother's arms from his waist.

"Oh, sorry." Kadaj laughed sheepishly, letting go of his brother and taking the kitten out of his hand to cradle it against his chest.

"Kadaj…" Yazoo tried to reason with the desperate boy. "Look, if it was me, I wouldn´t mind. But you know father… I doubt that he would be very excited to have-"

"But he wouldn´t mind if you´d ask him, I´m sure of it!" the boy interrupted, frantically stroking the kitten's soft fur.

Looking at the boy for a moment with an unreadable gaze, Yazoo finally let out a tired sigh. "Fine. I´ll ask him."

"Thanks!! I knew you were the best!!"

"Yes, yes. But don´t expect too much…" Shaking his head, the long haired boy stroked over the cats head, eliciting a purring sound from the fur ball. He still didn´t quite like the idea of having a pet in the house, but on the other hand, Kadaj seemed quite attached to it already and therefore it would make a good leverage. Just in case Kadaj decided to try something stupid again… Inwardly he prepared for a hard battle.

* * *

**So, after the dark ending of abuse, I felt for something a little more relaxed... But don´t worry, the M-rating hasn´t been chosen for nothing...**

**On with the promised, short SUMMARY for those who aren´t willing to read through the whole 28 chapters of 'abuse':**

Elena, a teacher at an elite school receives a homework from one of her pupils, Kadaj, that indicate that the older brother of his, Yazoo, is being abused by his adopted father. Together with a fellow teacher, Tseng, she decides to explore the case, despite Yazoo´s assertions that there is no such thing as sexual abuse. Elena visits the boys home, where she finds out that the boys father is none other than the famous general Sephiroth. After their encounter, Elena is certain that everything had been a misunderstanding, and wants to leave the case alone. Tseng however isn´t quite convinced, and after an emergency call from Loz, the third brother, he takes the boys in, as he finds Yazoo bloody and injured in the generals bedroom. After taking them to his apartment and after a discussion with the boys (for Yazoo still refuses to accept any help), they finally agree to go over to the dorms for the time being. Intending to expose Sephiroths crude ideas of parenting, Tseng doesn´t count on Elenas loyality towards the general. She tells him where he can find his children and Sephiroth can convince Yazoo to come back with him again, what results into the dismissal of Tseng. Not one to give up, Tseng decides to bring about the downfall of Sephiroth no matter what, when he gets a visit from Yazoo. Trying to persuade the boy to finally speak up and free himself from the generals influence, the teacher must learn, that Yazoo isn´t being 'abused', but that he doesn´t mind Sephiroths treatment at all. After revealing his true, rather vicious nature, Yazoo finally kills Tseng with a poison he got from Sephiroth, for he doesn´t want the teacher to spill any of their secrets. His brothers, however remain ignorant to Yazoos double game and loyaly, albeit becoming suspicious.

**That´s it, basically.**

**Reviews of the reviews from the epilogue of 'abuse':**

**Flawed Imagination: **Hope you got my pm and sorry about Tseng, but... I´m sure he happily watches us from above, if that helps anything? ;)

**CrippledAngel:** Thank you for compliment! I was most concerned for Yazoo´s character because I wanted him to be IC so bad! (he´s my favorite and therefore caused me most headaches...). I´m so glad you think it worked. Hope you will like the sequel too!

**CountessKitsune:** Here it is, hope you like it too, and thanks for reviewing!

**leyna:** I´m glad it worked, because I feared that the ending might be too prompt and unrealistic. I tried to wok in enough hints without spoiling too much but sometimes I thought it might not be enough. But then I didn´t want to sojourn with too many details either... So I´m glad you found it plausible!

**whitelanc3r:** haha, you were the 101 reviewer, that´s a nice number too :) If you want to put it with wrong and right, you could say that yes, 'right' lost. But we aren´t done yet, so maybe the good will make a spectacular comeback... And you are right, in my opinion it as quite a 'happy' ending for I got my favorite pairing together :D

**YinYangWhiteTiger: **I´m sorry because of Tseng, but you could say that he was a necessary casualty of war... Sadly I don´t know much about Genesis, for I haven´t been able to play Crisis Core yet, so I doubt that he, if at all, will have a major role... The rest of your ideas were VERY good and got my brain cells working, but for the most part, I have other ideas for the characters, but _thanks a bunch_ for the suggestions, though! And Rufus will play an important role later one, because I just love his arrogance ;)

**Li-Bai- Opus 3 No. 2:** Sorry for killing Tseng... Actually I like creepy things quite a lot too! It changes perspective... Thanks for reviewing and I´m glad you enjoyed reading my story! (By the way, you have a really interesting pen name, I´m alays wondering if it refers to some real composition...)

**Xyleel:** We actually discussed this before, so I´ll just take the time to thank you again for your detailed review and fr pointing out flaws. And I promise I´ll do my best to update faster rom now on!

**Yazoo IS superior:** Thanks for the reviews and I hope you´ll like the sequel too!

**silenceinlight:** I´ll do my best to put in as much Kadaj as I can, because originally this story will focus on Yazoo and Sephiroth. But as Kadaj is an important character I´m sure he´ll have much screentime :) I´m glad you liked the ending. I actually feared that most people would be repulsed by it, but fortunately it doesn´t seem so.

**j.sakurachan1:** I´m glad you did! Thanks again and again and again... You get the picture;)

**REVIEW please?**


	2. Chapter 2

**disclaimer (since I forgot it last time): I do not own final fantasy VII advent children.**

**Second chapter, enjoy!**

**And thanks to j.sakurachan1 and my new other beta purefoysgirl who helped me A LOT with this!**

2

The general threw his coat over a high chair and unbuttoned the upper part of his shirt. Today had been yet another tiring day at work, but it hadn't been as bad as it usually was and he'd been able to work out some of his stress on some unfortunate recruits, so he was in a fairly good mood. His day brightened even more when he noticed the hot, delicious-smelling meal that awaited him in the dimly lit salon along with his favourite child, who was sitting beside his food and greeted him with, "Welcome home."

For a gut-wrenching second he thought of a wife obediently waiting for her husband to return from work, and he willed that disturbing thought away into the deepest depths of his mind before it could make him violently ill.

With a short nod of greeting, he took his prepared seat, tossing back his hair with an elegant flick of his hand. He reached for his fork, signalling that the boy was allowed to eat as well, and Yazoo followed his lead.

One of the boy's privileges was that he was permitted to join his father during his meals, as Sephiroth found it occasionally pleasing to have a little chat now and then.

"So, how was school today?"

Putting a piece of meat into his mouth, the man observed his child, his smooth face giving no indication of his satisfaction with his meal, though he would certainly let the boy know if it _weren't_.

"Good so far. We got our certificates today," Yazoo tentatively said, cutting into his steak.

Sephiroth lifted an eyebrow in question and Yazoo pushed a paper that had been resting next to his plate towards the general. Setting his silverware aside, the man took the paper and looked over it, an approving smile curving his full lips.

"You did well, I see."

"It's nothing," the boy humbly said.

"Oh well, compared to my recruits…I'd better not get started."

A scowl briefly darkened Sephiroth's fair features before he put the paper aside, elbows resting on the table and fingertips pressing together.

'_This is going smoothly so far…_' Yazoo thought, observing the general out of the corner of his eye.

"So, is there anything you desire to acknowledge your performance?" the man asked, feeling generous.

Sipping at his glass, eyes downcast, Yazoo quietly declared, "Well, actually, yes...there is something I desire…"

"Oh?"

Interested, the general leaned forward a little. Usually Yazoo didn't have much of a problem outright telling him what he wanted, so this had to be something…_unusual_.

Before his thoughts could veer off to something more explicit, the man took a sip from his wineglass and inquired, "What is it, then?"

"Well…" Yazoo scratched his fork on his plate. "I'm not sure if you'll approve of it…"

Though not showing it, the general's curiosity peaked even more.

"Just tell me and we'll see," he purred.

"You'll only laugh at me…" the boy reluctantly said, hiding behind his fringe of bangs and pushing his food around on the plate.

Growing strangely excited, the general summoned his most trustworthy smile, assuring him, "I won't. Now tell me."

"You promise you won't get mad at me?"

Frowning a little but pushing aside his doubts—it didn't matter what he promised the boy, he would do as he liked anyway—Sephiroth's smile widened even more and he said, "I promise. After all, what could my kitten do that would make me mad?" Apart from running away, accusing him of child abuse, and threatening him with imprisonment, that was…

Yazoo smiled at this, too, pushing his chair away from the table. "Hn. Alright, then. I guess it's better if I show you, though…"

"Do as you like," the long hair general offered, watching the boy as he excused himself with a light bow and exited the room, his smile changing back to a smirk as he left.

The food forgotten, the man went over to the more comfortable sofa where he made himself at home, one booted foot resting on his knee. This sounded far too promising. He couldn't help but expect something rather kinky.

The door opened slowly and the boy entered again. So far, nothing about his outer appearance had changed, to the general's disappointment. But then, he was holding something behind his back as he came towards the man with elegant strides.

Smirking, the general raised an eyebrow to signal the boy that he was ready to be confronted with whatever fetish Yazoo had developed. The boy stopped a few steps in front of him and suddenly thrust the thing he had hidden behind his back a mere few inches from the general's face.

"Meow."

Blankly, Sephiroth stared at the kitten and then slowly breathed, "Well. _That_ surely is kinky."

"Eh?" Yazoo gave the man a confused look from behind the kitten that dangled from his hands. When no answer came from the shell-shocked general, Yazoo took it upon himself to explain the weird situation.

"His name is Bernhard Heinrich Eisenherz von Stieglitz. I found him on my way home from school. He has no home and I fear his mother might have fallen victim to a car so now he's all alone and he's so very small and frail. I'm sure he will die if we leave him on his own," he explained in a rather unaffected voice which didn't quite match his dramatically recited words.

Holding the stunned kitten, Yazoo waved it in the general's face, telling him unenthusiastically, "Look what tiny little feet it has, isn't it just adorable and so cute?"

"Have you been into my whiskey?" the man asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion, trying to avoid the so-called "cute," obnoxious, tiny little paws with their not so small claws which were dangerously close to his handsome face.

"Why, no." Yazoo innocently said, finally taking the cat out of Sephiroth's face and hugging it to his chest. Sounding very business-like and calculating, he asked, "So, what do you say? I promise I'll take care of it, you won't even notice that it's here."

"I don't think so," the general retorted, finding the whole idea of his pet having a pet somehow ridiculous.

"Why not?" the boy languidly asked, sitting down cross-legged on the thick carpet and letting the kitten play with his long hair.

Lifting an eyebrow, Sephiroth pointed out, "Because I'd rather not have cat piss all over my house."

"Loz will clean it all away," Yazoo nonchalantly promised, his attention focused on the furball in his lap.

"And what will your Loz do about the scratched furniture your cat-thing will surely ruin?" came the general's cool reply as he folded his arms over his chest.

"We can buy a cat tree," Yazoo answered unbothered.

"Tch! What about the hair? I will not have this monstrosity shed all over my uniforms!"

"Kadaj will take care of that. Besides, Bernhard Heinrich Eisenherz von Stieglitz won't bother you with his presence anyway nor come anywhere near you or your belongings."

"Of course it won't. Because you will get rid of it right now," the man decided unmoved.

Seeing the resigned look on the boy's face, Sephiroth made a waving gesture with his hand to soothe his pet. "So, is there something else you want instead? Anything except a cat?"

"No," came the cold, aloof answer.

After a moment of silence, in which the man calmly reached for his bourbon, Yazoo tried again. He wasn't fooled by the general's rejecting behaviour. This wasn't about a cat being in the house, not _really_.

"Why not?" He asked, looking at his father from behind his bangs.

"Because," Sephiroth summoned a sweet smile, "I say so."

"You know, that's not very fair…" the boy commented sardonically. His lips curled into a small pout but there was a calculating gleam hiding in his eyes.

The general looked surprised and asked, "Now, _really_?"

Mildly amused despite his display of impatience and dismissal, he observed the cold, cunning look that was aimed at him. Really, Sephiroth didn't give a damn about the cat. He _knew_ that it wouldn't make a difference if they kept it or not because the boys would certainly make sure that he wasn't bothered by it. They feared his wrath too much to do otherwise.

Still, just _giving_ Yazoo what he wanted was far too tame and he really liked to see his pet try to get through to him. Besides, the boy had to give something in compensation, Sephiroth wasn't a Welfare Service. And they had yet to get to his favourite part—the _begging_…

Summoning an impressive puppy-eyed look, Yazoo gazed at his father in a last attempt to give Bernhard Heinrich Eisenherz von Stieglitz the First a cozy new home, pleading with a spectacular flutter of his long, gorgeous lashes, "_Please_?"

Sephiroth slowly rubbed his temple as if deeply contemplating the possibility, eyeing the cat with indifference. Somehow, he didn't feel much like foreplay today.

"A kitten for a kitten, is it?" he finally asked, sarcasm heavy in his voice, but Yazoo knew that the discussion was over.

Putting the kitten aside on the floor where it instantly took a liking to the delicately embroidered tablecloth draping down so invitingly, Yazoo suggestively slid onto the general's lap, purring, "Of course, I won't forget about my _other_ obligations over it."

"Of course you won't," Sephiroth dryly commented, wrapping an arm around the boy's waist. "And you'd better put some effort into it or I'll be having some cat goulash."

* * *

**I just LOVE these two together... sigh**

**Flawed Imagination:** I hope the new chapter doesn´t dissappoint you either! Thanks for reading!

**Yazoo Is Superior:** Hopefully you will! If not, feel free to tell me, I´ll always have an open ear for constructive criticism!

**leyna:** Haha, I was on a roll (though I really should have done other things first...). Loz certainly has to learn how to relax, but then he is just a hormone driven teenager, so one can´t really blame him :) Yeah, Yazoo is still evil, or how I prefer to see it: rather practical thinking. Hope you like the new chapter!

**silenceinlight:** As I said, I felt for a little bit more relaxed stuff, but don´t worry we are nowhere near being done yet :) If Kadaj wants something, he´ll try everything to get it (even at that young age I can see that side of his personality). And Yazoo will gain something from that deal too :) I´m glad you liked it!

**CrippledAngel:** Hehe, yeah, isn´t it? That´s just like Yazoo, using Kadajs poor kitten for blackmail purposes... I´m glad you enjoyed, I hope I can update soon again. Reno will make his appearance again after the 'kitten' arc, I love the two interact too!

**purefoysgirl: **Thanks again for everything, you are awesome!

**whitelanc3r:** Oh, you noticed?! I´m glad you did, because that was exactly what I was aiming for! We´ll see after whom it comes most soon, I think ;) Thanks for reviewing!

**Review please?**

**(I´m wondering if people would rather like to see more interaction between the three brothers or between Sephiroth and Yazoo? Or both?)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I forgot to mention that Kadaj is about 9, Yazoo 13 and Loz 15 years old in this fic. Just for new readers who aren´t familiar with 'abuse'.**

**j.sakurachan1 and purefoysgirl did another awesome job beta-ing this, so please enjoy!**

* * *

3

"So how did it go? Can we keep him?"

An overly excited and nervously fidgeting Kadaj, still wearing his pyjamas, came bursting into the bright kitchen, eagerly pestering his older brother.

Yazoo, wrapped in a black, silken robe, raised an eyebrow while taking the milk out of the fridge.

"Good morning to you, too…"

Setting a glass of milk on the table, he gestured for his youngest brother to sit down, his expression grave.

A crestfallen look on his tired face—he hadn't slept a wink worrying about his kitten—Kadaj obeyed with shaking hands and sat down, ignoring the milk.

Yazoo stood with his hands propped on the table opposite him, casting a pitying look at his brother.

"He didn't allow it, did he?" Kadaj sighed, more a statement than a question. He balled his little hands into disappointed fists and struggled hard to swallow past the lump that had built in his throat.

Sighing, Yazoo stroked his hand over the boy's short silver hair. At that same moment something very soft swept along Kadaj's bare feet, tickling his sensitive skin.

"Meow."

Blinking in astonishment, Kadaj bent down under the table and lifted the equally stunned kitten from the tiles with a sudden, happy exclamation of, "Bernhard Heinrich Eisenherz von Stieglitz the First!"

The kitten had a difficult time defending itself from his exuberant, strangling hug and indignantly clawed at the boy's face, crying unhappy little mewls.

After he had hugged and cuddled the kitten thoroughly, Kadaj put it down in his lap where it rolled into a tiny ball and relaxed from its exhausting fight for freedom. Turning his attention back to his brother, the youngest sent him a half-hearted, accusing glare, pouting at the smirking older boy, "You know, that was pretty mean."

"Ah, I'm sorry," came the amused chuckle. "But it would have been boring if I'd just _told_ you. Besides, now you are even happier, aren't you?"

"But still…" the boy pouted, stroking his new pet on its head and extracting purring, pleased little sounds from it.

"Okay, I'm _very_ sorry," Yazoo offered with a small smile that made Kadaj break into a grin himself and generously relent, saying, "Well, then I think I can forgive you."

"Hn." Still smiling, but rather smugly now, Yazoo turned around to get some cereal, saying over his shoulder, "Just don't forget your promise to take care of it. And drink your milk please—"

He was interrupted by the door banging open when Loz, the only one fully clothed, made his presence known.

"Morning, Yazz! Brat!"

He cast a sour, sidelong glance at his youngest brother but decided to bestow more of his attention on him once he noticed his blissful grin. Frowning, he came over to the table, staring in disbelief at the furball nestled in the boy's lap.

"Oy, what's that?"

"_That_," Kadaj sullenly informed him, "Is Bernhard Heinrich Eisenherz von Stieglitz the First."

"Eh?"

Tossing a lost glance at Yazoo, who came back to the party with two bowls of cereal, he got nothing more than an offhanded, "Hn."

Sighing in exasperation, Kadaj deigned to explain the obvious to his stupid brother.

"It's my new pet," he said, lovingly stroking the soft fur. He grabbed his milk with his free hand and took a big sip.

Still blinking rapidly at the cat, Loz opened his mouth, closed it again, and finally settled for an even deeper frown.

"It's alright," Yazoo informed his older brother, sitting down and stirring his bowl, unaffected by the confused look he was given. Finally, Loz decided that it had to be like Yazoo said, and plopped down next to the youngest, who slid away from him a little in annoyance.

Eyeing the cat curiously, Loz reached out to stroke it but was prevented from doing so when his hand was confidently slapped away.

"Hey, that's my kitten! Don't touch it!"

Sticking his tongue out at the other boy, Kadaj turned away from him, bending over his precious pet and mumbling some not-so-nice warnings about Loz into the kitten's ear, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Oy!" Loz countered angrily, looking at Yazoo for support.

Absolutely not in the mood for quarrelling at such an early hour of the morning, the long-haired boy looked up from his food and gave Kadaj a meaningful look. The child reluctantly obeyed and unenthusiastically moved the kitten towards Loz, lifting his chin into the air in a sulk and not deigning to spare his brother even a look.

Smirking, the oldest reached out for the little furball, excited, but pulled back at once as the cat bared its little fangs at him and scratched at the soft skin of his fingers with a snarl.

Affronted, Loz hid his hand a safe distance away from the new pet.

Kadaj couldn't help his triumphant smirk. He cradled the kitten back to his chest and murmured in his ear, "Well done, Bernhard Heinrich the First."

Snorting, Loz turned away from the conspiratorial duo, declaring, "Pff. I guess it's already infected with the brat virus."

"You wish. Bernhard here only has good taste and recognizes an idiot when he sees one," Kadaj smiled sweetly, settling the cat back in his lap.

Snorting again, Loz grabbed for the kid's bowl and started wolfing down his food, ignoring the boy's protests. With the kitten in his lap Kadaj didn't have much room to maneuver so he eventually just gave up, but not before he made clear with a withering glare what he thought about his dumb brother's immature behavior.

Not hungry anyway, Yazoo pushed his own cereal towards Kadaj, propping his head in his palms and expertly changing the subject by asking the eldest, "What's with this getup? You planning on going somewhere?"

That made the teen stop his feast. Turning a deep shade of red, he fumbled at his best blue shirt, asking uncertainly, "Does it look good? Actually, I'm going to meet with Tifa in an hour…"

Yazoo barely had time to lift an eyebrow before an acrid retort came from Kadaj, his grinning mouth stuffed with cereal.

"Eh, who would've thought you'd ever get a date? The poor woman, someone should enlighten her about your idiocy…"

"Shut up!" Loz barked, turning even redder. "It's not a date! She only offered to give me lessons!"

"Ohhhh!" Kadaj squealed, teasing, "I wonder what lessons she's giving to you."

Smirking at his own joke, though he didn't quite know what it meant himself since he was rather innocent of such things, he endured the smack he received on his head.

"_Tutorial_ lessons, brat!" Loz huffed, looking at his brother for support again.

Yazoo was no help. A disappointed pout had fallen over his pretty features and he demanded to know, "Ah? What's wrong with my lessons?"

"Eeeerh…" Scratching his head sheepishly, Loz tried to soothe the situation by coming up with an explanation that wasn't too cruel. "You know…" Lacking for words, Loz made a helpless gesture, hoping that this would somehow explain everything.

"I know?" Yazoo mercilessly leaned forward, looking keenly interested in an awful sort of way.

"Ah, it's nothing personal!" Waving his hands in front of him with frantic dismissal, Loz licked his lips. He couldn't possibly tell him that he felt even more confused and stupid after Yazoo's "explanations."

"Then what is it?" inquired the other coldly, head tilted.

"You know… It's… I mean you're smart and all but you still lack the… her… feminine, gentle charm." Loz smiled, as if he had made the biggest compliment of all time. After a second he thoughtfully added, more to himself, "Though you look rather girly."

After the dangerous narrowing of his brother's eyes, he hastily sputtered, "But I'm sure you're growing out of that real fast, haha…See, it's all about boobs, and you definitely don't have any!" It was offered hopefully, but Yazoo wasn't very pleased. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest.

"Hn."

Reading the nonverbal, slightly moody, 'Do as you like, I don't care anymore,' signal that his brother was sending and ignoring his gleeful littlest brother, Loz mumbled, "Thanks for the meal," and hurried to get out of the danger zone.

As soon as Loz had left the room, Yazoo relaxed back with a mischievous smirk on his lips. Winking at Kadaj, he remarked, "He needed his share, too, didn't he?"

Laughing, Kadaj finished his meal. Pushing aside his bowl, he ruffled Bernhard's fur and thoughtfully questioned, "So, what are we gonna do today?"

"Well" Yazoo answered , carrying the empty bowls to the sink. "After you are done with your chores I believe there are some things that need to be bought for that pet of yours."

Fortunately for him, the kitten prevented Kadaj from glomping him from behind and ruining his rather expensive robe with his dirty, sticky hands.

* * *

**Uh... more brotherly 'love'... Nothing really happened here... Still had very much fun writing it :) **

**purefoysgirl:** I´m not sure if Yazoo is completely certain about his position himself. But since he´s a very practical thinking person (or at least I think he is...), he uses the chance for future practice anyway :) Thanks again for everything, you rule so much!!

**Xyleel:** Chrchr, in meiner Story ist Sephy noch relativ jung, da fällt er vielleicht grad wieder aus der Pedo-Schublade raus :D Ich war grad mal drin und hab in einer (sehr langen) Nacht schon mal die nächsten 5 Kapitel geschrieben... Ich liebe alte deutsche Namen, die sind immer so herrlich lächerlich ohne sich dafür großartig anstrengen zu müssen! Leider bezweifle ich, dass der Großteil der Leser den Witz versteht. Naja... Werd auf jeden Fall hauptsächlich über die vier SHM schreiben. Und wegen hinter die Affäre kommen: das würde guten Stoff für Kadajs Neurosen abgeben, also mal sehen was draus wird;) Danke das du dir die Zeit genommen hast zu reviewn, macht leider nicht jeder!

**sareyva: **I´m glad you liked it! I love writing these two, but at the same time it is the most difficult part, too. I have to maintain a very delicate balance between them and many things have to remain subtle... We´ll see if and in what kind of trouble poor Sephiroth will get, once Yazoo has set his mind on something ;) Thanks for reviewing and congratulations on your account!

**whitelanc3r: **Haha, that´s funny, I was actually listening to some kind of 'battle music' (by my definition it was...) when writing the chapter, so maybe that´s why it turned out like this. I´d say that both of them only profited from the deal, so maybe there is no real 'winner' or 'loser'? Glad you liked it and left a review!

**More action in the next chapter, that is already written and only waits for enough reviews for chapter 3 to be posted.**

**So, review please?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to j.sakurachan1 and purefoysgirl for helping me out here again, I´m so very grateful!**

4

It had been three days since the kitten had become their new pet and everything had gone smoothly so far. Kadaj stuck to his word and took commendable care of Bernhard, spending every free moment he had with the cat. Loz was occupied with Tifa, but didn't forget to do his chores, either, and Yazoo _should_ have been satisfied with the situation since they did a really good job not to anger Sephiroth or be in his way. The general, on the other hand, was rather busy with new recruit applications and other, classified things, so he had no time to torture the boys.

The emphasis here lay on '_should'_ have been satisfied, for somehow Yazoo wasn't.

Actually, he was in a rather sour mood and the reason was the aforementioned cat.

It just so happened that when he had brought the general's food to his home office the other day, he had found an unwelcome scene awaiting him. Imagine his surprise when he saw Sephiroth bent over some documents and absent-mindedly stroking the cat's fur, as the thing had somehow managed to slip into the room and take a seat on the general's desk. Instead of slicing and cutting it into tiny bits of raw meat. Blankly, Yazoo had put the tray on the desk, looking down at the writing General.

The man had continued to fondle Bernhard, not even acknowledging _his_ presence. After a minute had gone by and Yazoo still hadn't moved, Sephiroth had finally taken notice, looked up at him, and then shifted his gaze to the tray. After a distracted, "Thank you," he had gone back to his papers, writing something in that elegant handwriting of his.

Yazoo had remained in front of the desk, emotionlessly watching the general and the cat until Sephiroth had looked up with a calculated, friendly smile. He had finally rested his silver stylograph and asked "Is there something else?"

With an elusive, "No," Yazoo had taken the tray back and left the office with long strides.

Now he was sitting at the kitchen table, some books open in front of him, darkly glowering at nothing in particular. His studies forgotten, he wondered what miscalculation had compelled him to allow a cat into his household.

Said nuisance had the misfortune to bother him with its presence just at that moment since Kadaj was occupied with the laundry and had no time to stroke it.

Rubbing its back against the youth's bent legs, it purred and demanded his attention, completely devoid of some feral instinct that should have screamed for it to run and hide somewhere very far away.

Stirring at the unwelcome contact, Yazoo's cold eyes shifted down to Bernhard, who continued to lament about his loneliness. Eventually, the long fingers reached down to take the cat under its arms and lift it up. Holding it a few inches away from him, Yazoo eyed it frostily, head cocked to the side and still ignoring Bernhard's begging for love.

"You know" he finally, coolly said. "I'm more and more inclined to believe that there's only room for _one_ kitten here."

The kitten tilted its head to the side, mirroring his actions perfectly, and looked at him with big, green eyes. It meowed and affectionately tried to lick the boy's face.

A moment later the meows became a little desperate as the kitten tried to escape the crushing pressure on its little body, Yazoo's fingers mercilessly holding it in an iron grip.

"What are you doing?"

Instantly loosening his grip, Yazoo sat the cat on the table and nonchalantly turned his head, an innocent and quizzical smile on his face.

"Why, nothing."

Not even batting an eyelash at Loz's suspicious look, Yazoo straightened from the table and took the grocery bags from the boy's hands. "Did you get everything?"

After a moment of silence, Loz finally managed a monosyllabic, "Yeah."

"Hn." Pretending to be busy putting away the food, Yazoo observed Loz from the corner of his eyes. The youth watched him with a strange, somehow terrified look on his face.

"Well then, why don't you go take a bath or something. I'll call you when lunch is ready."

Loz didn't move, but awkwardly looked from the kitten—which began to indignantly lick its damaged paw—back to his brother.

"Something wrong?" Yazoo asked, frowning slightly.

Coming out of whatever thoughts he had been thinking, Loz shook his head as if to clear it, saying, "No," and leaving the room, followed by his brother's unreadable gaze.

Xxx-xxx-xxx-xxX

"Where's the brat, damn it I could eat a horse or two!" Loz grumbled, plaintively eyeing his full plate and impatiently drumming his fingers on the table.

Yazoo didn't even deign to shrug, he just scratched his fork on his plate. As was their wont, the boys always had at least lunch together. That was, whenever it was possible due to the general's absence—otherwise Sephiroth would claim Yazoo exclusively for himself.

Loz's request was soon granted as a blur of silver suddenly rushed into the kitchen, flinging itself at the unprepared middle brother. With puffy eyes and snot running from his nose, Kadaj wailed between hiccups, "I-I-ca-can't f-f-find h-him, he wa-was the-there th-this morning a-a-and now he-he's gone—"

Carefully unwrapping the boy's arms from his waist, anxious not to come into contact with the snot, Yazoo soothingly said, "Now, now, calm down. I didn't understand one word you were saying."

Still hiccupping but wiping his nose with his sleeve, Kadaj tried to take a deep breath and desperately tried again, "B-Bernhard, I can't find him! I searched everywhere, but h-he's gone and I don't know what to doooo—" He was on the verge of tears again, breathing harshly.

"Ah, there, there." Yazoo offered the boy a handkerchief. "Don't worry, I'm sure he's alright." Smiling, he held the boy's shoulders, looking optimistic.

"How about this: we'll have lunch now, and then I'm going to search for Bernhard with you, mh?"

Still snivelling, but feeling a little better already, Kadaj reluctantly nodded.

"See? Now sit down and eat your goulash."

Slipping into his seat, Kadaj grabbed his fork and started eating, wanting to finish lunch so that he could begin the search for Bernhard as soon as possible.

Looking pleased, Yazoo lifted a forkful of food to his mouth, tilting his head at the eldest.

Loz sat with his hands folded in his lap, eyeing the food strangely.

"What, you're not eating?" Yazoo asked. "Didn't you say something about two horses just now?"

Managing a small, wry smile, Loz shook his head and started eating. But somehow, he just didn't have much of an appetite any longer.

* * *

**Valitiel:** Yeah, I think I have to shorten it a bit, otherwise I´ll get a cramp;) You think Berny or Bernhard will be okay? Thanks for rading and reviewing!

**sareyva:** Thanks for pointing out what you liked most, I have to say that this passage was the most fun to wright, too, so I´m especially glad you liked it! I think there will be a chapter that focuses a little on the brothers history and then we will see. Though from Kadajs memories, he was a little different before...

**purefoysgirl:** , my best friend... Well, I hope we´ll be spared in the future from such incidents, it´s just annoying. Thanks again for helping me so much!

**whitelanc3r:** Hehe, but you have to admit that Kadaj is somewhat of a brat sometimes... Hope you liked the new chapter, and thanks for reviewing!

**Review please?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to my wonderful betas j.sakurachan1 and purefoysgirl for straightening this chapter out as well!**

5

After they were done Kadaj put everything into the dishwasher and then eagerly dragged his brother out of the kitchen, giving Yazoo only enough time to tell Loz to take a look at the rebelling trash chute.

Frowning, Loz watched them leave and then went to the garage to get some tools. He couldn't help the sinking feeling in his gut that whispered to him that they wouldn't find the cat no matter how long they searched for it…

Angrily, he shoved the thought away and concentrated on choosing the necessary items. It was just ridiculous! True, Yazoo had been quite strange that morning, mumbling something about kittens, but surely he wouldn't…'Why should he?' Loz asked himself.

After all, it was Yazoo who had ensured that they could keep the kitten.

Right.

'_Don't start thinking strange things!' _He wasn't very fond of thinking _anyway_, so there was no need to start now, and certainly not about such absurdities. Right.

He willed himself to let Tifa's gentle smile appear in his mind, sitting on a bench in the park wearing that yellow dress, cast in sunlight and patiently explaining the merit's of old English literature to him for the seventh time…

Collecting the tools into a bag that was lying in a corner of the rather large garage which held three limousines, he closed the door behind him as he left, making sure that it was locked properly. He didn't dare think about what would happen if the general found so much as a speck of dust on one of his precious, expensive cars…

Wandering through the blooming, sweet smelling garden, past the blue pool, he made out Kadaj's frame as the boy was bending over to look into a flowerpot that housed a large palm. He was making weird noises and trying to cajole his pet with a frequent, high-pitched cry of, "Kitty, kitty, kitty." He looked rather ridiculous.

Snickering, Loz hid behind a bush and observed Kadaj for awhile before he decided to take pity on the brat and come out of his hiding place, nonchalantly walking over to the crouching boy, saying, "Oy, brat. Need any help?"

Kadaj gave him a dark look, but after a thoughtful moment of contemplation, he finally shrugged resignedly. "Sure."

"Heh, we'll find the furball in no time, you'll see," Loz cockily declared, and ruffled the boy's hair.

Kadaj shot him another dark look and grumpily hurried to straighten his disordered hair, nonetheless mumbling a soft, "Thanks."

The older boy gave him a reassuring grin and went to the back of the garden, searching in a flowerbed.

Funny, how their relationship had changed over the last few days. He thought about while pushing away the green leaves, careful not to destroy them. On the outside, they were still bickering and fighting over everything and nothing, but inwardly they had come to a silent cease-fire. As bad as the whole incident had been, somehow it had brought them closer together, closer than Loz had ever thought possible. Maybe it was their shared concern for Yazoo, or—and Loz didn't like to think of _this_ possibility—the fact that maybe they had come to realize that something was not right, and that they might need each other far more often than they'd like in the future. Both of them had made great progress at accepting the other and his quirks…though at the same time, Loz felt that the closer he got to Kadaj, the farther away they both drifted from their middle brother.

For example, two nights before Kadaj had suddenly turned up in his room as a heavy summer storm shook the mansion with thunder and lightening. Holding tightly to his cat, Kadaj had appeared next to his bed, his little face sickeningly pale, for he truly couldn't stand the thunder.

Neither Loz nor the boy had said a word. A few days before, Loz would have just tiredly growled at him to get the hell out and let him sleep…but then, a few days earlier, Kadaj wouldn't have shown up in his room—not because they would've shared a room anyway, but because his first choice would have been Yazoo, despite the risk of incurring Sephiroth's wrath.

But as it was, Loz had just lifted his blanket and the boy had slipped under the sheets without a word. In the morning he'd been gone, and no words of gratitude were spoken about the incident, nor any words of spite. And neither of them had mentioned anything about it to Yazoo.

Sighing Loz went to the next flowers, mumbling inviting words for the kitten to come out from wherever it was hiding.

The boys searched until they had made their round through the large park and came off empty-handed. Kadaj looked even more concerned, and decided to relocate his search back into the house, while Loz remembered that he actually had to do other stuff, and left the younger boy alone with his search.

Shuffling back into the kitchen, and careful to not carry any mud from the garden with him, Loz bent down before the sink and opened the door. Searching through the bag, he bemoaned the fact, that he wasn't allowed to officially take part in the search party but had to do the dirty work, as always. Yazoo was such a slave driver sometimes…

A torch pinched between his teeth, he carefully reached for the trash chute. Frowning, he poked a screwdriver into the device and found that something was stuck at the bottom, hindering the blades from rotating. After running down into the cellar and switching off the electricity (he had no desire to lose an arm if the thing suddenly decided to turn on), he went back and reached inside again, this time with his hand. Sweat running from his forehead, cursing under his breath, he finally felt something sticky. Grimacing at the disgusting feeling, he suppressed the sheer, overwhelming urge to withdraw his hand and jiggle with disgust.

As he finally got ahold of it, Loz withdrew his hand from the darkness and looked at the mass he'd freed from the chute. His eyes went wide and his jaw slackened as he stretched his fingers slowly in front of his face.

From his hand dangled some bloody fibres.

And stuck to the flesh was thin, soft, silver fur.

* * *

**So, this one got a little short... But the next one will be longer again, I promise!**

**purefoysgirl:** Thanks for helping me out again, I hope I´ll make less mistakes in the future now!

**Valitiel:** The new math teacher will be revealed soon, too. We first have to go over vacation, but I´ll not stretch it too far. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Xyleel:** Kadaj kriegt seine sadistische Ader schon auch noch, wart´s mal ab;) Sorry, dass das Kapitel schon wieder recht kurz ausgefallen ist, aber die nächsten werden wieder länger... (Und falls du eine Geschichte mit wirklich langen Kapiteln willst, und an einer Vinny/Yaz Vampir-Story interessiert bist, kann ich demnächst vielleicht abhelfen;)) Cloud wird mit Sicherheit auch irgendwann vorkommen. In meinem Kopf hat diese Geschichte epische Ausmaße, es ist aber fraglich, ob ich das alles jemals aufschreiben werde. Mh... Seph/Yaz lemon klingt verlockend, hab das noch nie probiert. Mal sehen ob ich mich mal daran versuchen werde. Wenn du welche finden solltest, sag mir bescheid, ich suche wie eine Bekloppte und finde nichts!

**sareyva: **Uhm... About what happened to Bernhard... I´m sorry? Yeah, their background will be exposed soon, and also how and why Sephiroth came to adopt them. One wonders why he did it at all, if they are only getting on his nerves mostly? But, it will be revealed, so stay patient please ;) Thanks for your comment, I hope you liked the new chapter, too.

**SHM´s Lover:** At least he doesn´t like them with garlic! And by now, Kadaj doesn´t know what´s going on, so maybe his relationship with Yazoo will not change at all... But we´ll see in the next chapter! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked the chapter, though!

**whitelanc3r:** Haha, yes, that sums it up pretty good :D Thanks for reviewing, hope you liked it!

**Review please?**

**PS: **For anyone interested: I´ll post a **new FFAC** **story** here soon, which plays in the Middle Ages and deals with **vampires**. It has **Vincent and Yazoo **as main characters, but the rest of the crew is in it as well. So far the first chapter needs to be betad and then it will be up...


	6. Chapter 6

**New chapter, thanks to my betas again and again! I can´t express in words how grateful I am!**

6

He didn't have time to think about it, as a low voice behind him asked curiously "Did you repair it?"

Before Yazoo even had time to blink, he found himself suddenly crashing into the wall, Loz's iron grip pulling painfully at his collar and slowly strangling him. Confronted with furious, disbelieving, and utterly shocked green eyes that almost popped out of a strangely pale, sweaty face, the middle brother could only gasp for air, trying to loosen Loz's grip with his own slender fingers.

"Why you…!"

The boy almost poked Yazoo's eye out with an index finger that had something red and slimy sticking to it. He panted harshly into his brother's face, his breath still reeking of the earlier goulash. Loz had a hard time not throwing that food up into his brother's face right then and there, for he harboured absolutely no doubt that the meal they had just eaten was nothing other than poor, missing Bernhard.

Gods, he hadn't really made Kadaj eat his own damn pet, had he…?!

Narrowing his eyes and hissing at his attacker was all Yazoo could do, due to the lack of air. But Loz either didn't seem to mind, or didn't notice that he was slowly but surely suffocating his brother. He was utterly consumed by his rage when the full dimension of his realization hit him.

"Why?" he choked again, pressing his brother even deeper into the wall. "Wasn't it enough that you dragged us back here? Do you hate us that much that you have to do _this_?! Gods, Kadaj, he _loves_ you, you know! I can't believe my brother would be such a fucking sadistic pig! You made him eat his own cat, you damned _bastard_!"

"Hrn," Yazoo managed, face devoid of emotion, but a strange gleam in his eyes that seemed to taunt Loz, and was so very much not the brother he knew and loved. It reminded him of someone else, though…someone he loathed and would rather have seen dead, too.

Face going completely blank, Loz loosened his grip on Yazoo, withdrawing his hand and staring to the side. He could not stand to look into that face which so resembled a certain general's.

Coughing, Yazoo straightened his messed up shirt, giving the other a withering glare and coldly asking, "Are you done now—"

That was when Loz lost it. Hand curled into a very big fist he lunged out and hit the younger full force in his beautiful, sneering face.

Upon impact—the punch being too sudden to block—Yazoo crashed back into the wall, sliding down the blackmarble**.**. Blood oozed from his split lip and he coughed up more of the red liquid, spilling it all over his expensive designer shirt and the polished floor.

Instantly Loz was on him again, fist ready for another hit because in that tiny bit of rational thought he still had, he had the oddly plausible idea that all he had to do was beat the shit out of his brother and he would, hopefully, return back to normal. Before he could land another hit however, a heavy weight suddenly clung to his arm and a hysteric voice screamed into his ear to stop for Christ's sake!

Tears streaming down his face, biting and clawing at Loz's strong arm, Kadaj cried and begged for him to stop.

Coming back to his senses very slowly, the oldest lowered his arm, and tried to free himself from the desperate, shocked boy.

As soon as Loz stopped his attack Kadaj rushed over to his injured brother, cradling him to his chest and hugging him, repeatedly murmuring consoling words while the middle brother continued to cough up blood, leaning limply against Kadaj.

"What the hell did you do that for? Are you insane?!" Kadaj screamed at the oldest, who helplessly tried to defend himself with, "But he- Bernhard, he killed him!"

Kadaj's face flickered first to disbelieving, and then to enraged. "What the fuck are you talking about? The cat is alright, we found it hiding under some towels in the laundry basket!"

Now it was Loz's turn to be shocked. He looked first at Kadaj, and then to the bleeding Yazoo, and finally at the little cat which had idly come to sit beside him, licking his paw and watching the scene with big, uncomprehending eyes.

"But…but…" Loz stuttered, shell-shocked, staring at the bits of blood that stained the floor and trying to process what had just happened. Miserably, he looked back at his middle brother and stepped towards him, attempting to…he didn't know what. Everything was spinning inside his head but, apparently, his body had moved without him noticing, his shaking hand reaching out to make contact with Yazoo's hunched form. He abruptly came back to his senses, however, when the boy flinched away from him as if he expected to get hit again, his slender body bracing for the impact, his swollen mouth breathing, "Don't touch me!"

Kadaj furiously attempted to slap Loz's hand away, but it wasn't necessary—Loz drew back as if he'd been burned. He cradled the offending hand that had hurt Yazoo to his chest and stared at his brothers in wide-eyed horror.

What had just…_Why_? He had never ever hit any of his siblings before! Loz would rather chop his arm off than raise his hand to either of his brothers, the very thought made him sick!

Trembling badly, Loz sank down to his knees. His chest felt like it was being crushed beneath a ton of weight that made it hard to breathe, and he shook with the sobs that erupted from his throat.

Untouched by Loz's misery and completely ignoring him, Kadaj carefully helped his other brother up, still murmuring soothing words as he slowly led him to the stairs. They left a trail of small blood drops behind them, but before they had made it halfway up the stairs the bleeding had ceased, all thanks to the boy's fast healing ability.

Once they had reached Yazoo's bathroom, the middle brother eased his weight off of Kadaj's small shoulder and leaned over the sink. The cat, bored, had followed them and took a seat on the fuzzy carpet where yawned and drowsily observed with one open eye how the middle brother inspected his bruised jaw.

"You alright?" came the fearful question from Kadaj who stood near his brother, prepared to assist him in case Yazoo would need support again.

"Hn," Yazoo distantly affirmed, brushing a slender finger over his split lip. At least it had stopped bleeding. But Loz sure had a hard punch…

Sighing, the youth grabbed a white flannel that was lying on the rim of the sink and started the gold tap running. He let a rinse of lukewarm water wet the cloth and pressed it against his injury, the other hand brushing some offending and blood-sprinkled silver strands out of his face.

"That stupid asshole! What's he think he's doing? Fuck!" Kadaj's little hands had balled into angry fists as he took out his exasperation on the poor bathroom interior, kicking the wall next to the cupboard.

"Language," Yazoo distractedly cautioned, watching the furious boy in the mirror when he was done cleaning his face. He had come to the conclusion that, albeit the pain wasn't exactly _pleasant_, no major damage had been done to his face. It would heal in about an hour, maybe less. His first priority had to be something else.

Laying the washcloth back on the sink, casting a last scrutinizing look into the mirror, Yazoo sat down on the closed toilet lid and caught Kadaj's fists, stilling his punches at the wall.

"Kadaj, stop that, you're making me edgy," he softly said, holding the boy's hands still.

Pressing his lips together tightly, Kadaj stopped his agitated swaying, staring at the ground angrily though, of course, his anger wasn't directed at Yazoo.

"How could he…" he whispered almost inaudibly, not feeling the cold bathroom tiles beneath his bare feet, not even seeing them clearly as his eyes filled with hot, irritated tears.

It wasn't just that Loz had hit Yazoo and almost broken his jaw. No, he had destroyed something entirely different, something that was beyond physical texture. With just a small flick of his hand, Loz had crushed all trust between them, had betrayed all the love and the bond they shared as brothers.

Not even the general with all his sadistic tormenting and spiteful remarks had managed to shake Kadaj's little world so thoroughly. In that instant he felt so much cold hatred and acid contempt for the oldest, he thought it would rip him apart.

Yazoo just quietly observed the tears rolling down the boys cheeks and splashing on the black tiles, still loosely holding his hands as the boy bit back a sob.

Sighing, Yazoo brushed the boy's hair affectionately, drawing him into a weak hug that made Kadaj look up at him with red-rimmed eyes. Yazoo scarcely touched him anymore, but the arms wrapped around his torso felt so very right and comforting as he stood there in front of the middle brother. After a second he relaxed and his rage subsided as he leaned his head against his brother's shoulder, his arms dangling helplessly at his sides in the one-sided embrace. But it was enough just smelling his brother's unique scent, feeling his cool, silken tresses against his own hot and wet cheeks. It was just like before when he'd gotten into one of his many fights with the other kids at the orphanage and had—bruised and bleeding—sought comfort in his brother's consoling and open arms. Nuzzling his nose deeper into the elegant curve of Yazoo's neck, he finally let loose and cried his sorrow quietly into his brother's skin.

Yazoo held the boy laxly, apathetically observing the wall.

After about fifteen minutes, Kadaj finally lifted his head and wiped at his eyes.

Yazoo let go of his lithe little body and asked with an empathetic but slightly sad expression on his face, "Feeling better now?"

The boy nodded, sniffling and said somewhat ashamedly, "Pathetic, am I not? You're the one who got hurt and here I am, wailing like a baby…"

"That's okay," Yazoo assured him, smiling softly. "It wasn't that bad. See? It's almost healed."

Frowning, a little skeptical, Kadaj inspected Yazoo's face with a quick look. Before he could protest that it wasn't just about physical injuries, Yazoo was already giving him a reassuring smile, indicating that he wished the discussion to be over.

He rose from his seat and gently ushered Kadaj out of the bathroom, crouching down to lift the cat and put it in the boy's arms.

"Why don't you two go watch a movie or something? I'm sure you've had enough action for one day," he suggested.

Clinging to his kitten and brushing his cheek against its soft fur, Kadaj nodded tiredly and started to leave the room, but paused when Yazoo spoke again.

"And be so kind as to send Loz here, please."

The slender youth was at his wardrobe, changing his bloodied shirt.

"But—"Kadaj objected, horrified, but he was interrupted by Yazoo's strangely calm and confident pleading, "Don't worry. I don't think he will hurt me any more. Please?"

Still not liking the idea of it but feeling that he, at least, had to support the middle brother and cause him as little stress as possible, Kadaj left. He found Loz in the hall, mechanically cleaning the blood away without really being aware of what he was doing. Stopping a few feet away, the boy coldly looked down at the older youth and curtly delivered his summons before turning on his heel and leaving.

He just couldn't bear the presence of the other any longer.

* * *

**I have to admit that I feel a bit evil now that I kind of tricked you ;)**

**But it wouldn´t be interesting anymore if it would become too predictable, eh? (Or maybe you saw right through it anyway, I don´t know...)**

**sareyva:** Yes, I want Loz to become a little more mature during the story. I don´t think he´s dumb, just a little lazy when it comes to thinking;) Hope you liked the new chapter and thanks for reviewing!

**purefoysgirl:** No way, I´m very glad you review and tell me if you liked it! And since you don´t give anything away in the reviews there is no problem at all!

**Valitiel:** Hehe, fortunately little Bernhard is still alive, so there wasn´t any resurrection needed! I hope you liked the new chapter though!

**Xyleel:** Chrchr, genau der Satz kommt in einem späteren Kapitel noch vor! Wie sagt man so schön: Zwei Kluge, ein Gedanke;) Ich glaube, momentan sind die beiden nicht mehr besonders dicke, aber das ändert sich vielleicht noch. Schön, dass es noch andere Yazoo-Fanatiker gibt, vielleicht sollten wir eine Selbsthilfegruppe aufmachen :D Das fic kenne ich, kann mich erinnern dass ich die Charaktere ziemlich OOC fand... Ich weiß wohl, dass es eine deutsche Künstlerin gibt, die ziemlich viele und gute Sachen dazu gemacht hat, Bettyblue oder so nennt sie sich... Ansonsten gibt es aber sehr wenig zu dem Thema. Übrigens ist das zweite Kapitel der Vampirstory bei animexx jetzt on :)

**whitelanc3r:** Uh, fasting... I don´t know, I like food far too much to skip my meals :D But since Bernhard isn´t dead there´s no need for _them_ to think about it anyway;) Thanks for reviewing!

**By the way: Information on story progress and stuff can be found on my profile.**

**Review please?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Before we start with the new chapter I´d first like to take the time and thank everyone who reviewed the story so far! Seriously, you guys are the best, giving me such _detailed_ and constructive feedback!!! THANK YOU!**

**Also big thanks to my betas jsakurachan1 and purefoysgirl!!!**

**Enjoy!  
**

7

Awkwardly knocking on the open door, Loz nervously peeked into the room. There were at least one hundred places he would rather be right now, the guilt still burning hot inside of him. But there was no turning back now, all he could do was attempt as much damage control as possible…that was, if his brother would still be willing to hear him out and not just sever every tie they shared

"Come in," came the emotionless answer from his brother. His voice gave no indication of what mood he might be in, or what might await Loz.

Shuffling over the carpet with small steps, the eldest entered the bright room and stopped forlornly a few steps away from the bed where Yazoo had seated himself cross-legged.

Uncomfortable silence filled the room. Loz didn't know what to say, he just studied the nonexistent lint on the floor in shame.

Yazoo waited for him to say something, but when it became apparent that his brother wouldn't open his mouth, he calmly inquired, "So? Care to explain what got into you?"

"I…" Loz struggled for words, he'd never been any good with them anyway, and gulped hard. "I'm sorry," he eventually mumbled, grasping his arms tightly and avoiding any eye contact.

"Yeah, me too. But that still doesn't explain your behaviour," Yazoo curtly answered, observing his hands folded in his lap.

"I didn't mean to hurt you! I mean, I did, but I thought…" helplessly, Loz threw his arms into the air, lost. Tears brimmed in his eyes again.

"Then what _did_ you think?" Yazoo shifted his gaze from his lap to the teen in front of him, frustrated.

"I…I thought you had…" squirming, the elder tried to explain the reasoning that seemed so very ridiculous, now that he knew he had completely misunderstood the situation.

"I thought you had put the cat into the…the garbage chute and then…made us eat," he finally, quietly admitted.

"What?!" Aghast, Yazoo stared at his brother wide-eyed, mouth hanging slightly open.

"I know!" Loz cried, turning away in shame. "I just…I don't know why I would think something like that, it's just—You were so _strange_ this morning! And then there was the meat and the fur in the chute and the cat was missing…and…It just made sense somehow!"

He was trying to defend himself but he didn't feel any better because it sounded just so _wrong_!

At a loss for words, the boy on the bed just stared at him open-mouthed until he seemed to regain his equilibrium again and shut his mouth with a click as his teeth connected.

"You…"

Loz didn't know what else to say and prepared for a rant which he surely deserved. The silence, however, hung heavily between them again, strangely intensified by the noise of singing birds in the garden and rustling of leaves.

When Yazoo finally did speak Loz really wished he'd have screamed and thrashed at him instead of sitting on the bed looking so small, sounding so disappointed and _sad_.

"So that's what you think of me?"

Loz reached a hand towards him, saying, "Yazoo, I'm _so_ sorry—"

Yazoo interrupted him, saying with tight constraint, "I'll have you know that the meat was the rest of the goulash I couldn't use for the meal and the 'fur' I threw in the garbage was Kadaj's when I cut his hair yesterday."

Choking on his tears, Loz stepped forward in a last attempt to save what he could, but his brother's indifferent voice made him freeze in mid-step.

"If that's all then, I'm sure you'd rather be somewhere more pleasant than in my _unbearable_ presence."

"B-but-"

Yazoo—who had already turned around and looked out of the window, his expression blank—made an exasperated sound, asking, "What is it?"

Instead of an answer, two strong trembling arms wrapped around his torso, almost crushing his delicate body as hot tears soaked through the back of his shirt.

"I'm so sorry! Please don't be like this! You know I love you, I could _never_ think something so despicable of you!"

"_Really_," was the sarcastic, bitter response. "Your recent actions say otherwise."

"I'm sorry!" Sobbing, Loz only tightened his grip, hoping Yazoo would somehow understand through the strange mental connection they shared, that he would see how truly and utterly sorry he was.

"Loz, how do you expect me to believe you?! You just told me straight to my face that you think I would murder our pet for the fun of it!"

"I don't know! Please just believe me, please!" came the desperate plea from behind. "I know now how stupid it was, I really do! You just seemed like you'd changed and I couldn't help myself…"

"I _changed_?! I'm sorry Loz, but to me it seems like _you_ are the one who doesn't see clearly here! In the last few weeks you have undergone such a dramatic alteration in character that I almost don't recognize you anymore! You force your will on me, you betray me, you leave me, you accuse me of ridiculous, outrageous crimes, you _hit_ me!"

Shaking and choking, Loz frantically held onto his brother, feeling so very cold and lonely. The way Yazoo said it made him sound like such a horrible person! How could he have turned into such a monster?! He was so full of self-loathing and disgust for his own wretched personality that he couldn't speak for a moment.

"You're right!" he finally cried "I'm sorry! Please forgive me, I promise I won't do anything that'll offend you anymore! Can't it just be like it was before?"

Silence.

Then, tired and resigned: "I don't know Loz. You've seriously shaken my trust into you."

Feeling the violent trembling of his brother rippling across the waterbed, Yazoo sighed. "Don't cry, Loz. I don't know about carrying on but maybe… we can try to start anew…"

The noise that penetrated his ears was a mixture of shamed crying and relieved laughter as Loz sobbed, "I-I promise I'll do better from no-now on!"

Yazoo made an approving sound, almost shyly placing a hand on Loz's arm. The older finally pulled his face away from the wet cloth of Yazoo's shirt and wiped at his red eyes, declaring childishly, "And I'm not crying."

"Of course you are not…" the other boy chuckled indulgently, earning himself an embarrassed frown, but the next moment Loz broke into a docile smile, attacking his brother again in a hug "Come here you…!"

"Loz!" the other gasped for breath, which made the bigger boy immediately repent his actions and let loose anxiously asking, "You alright? I didn't hurt you did I?" Panic was apparent in his voice, but Yazoo calmed his worries by shaking his head.

"Uff" Loz breathed, relieved, and settled down in a more comfortable position on the bed, inquiring quietly "What… what about your face, does it still hurt?"

"A little," Yazoo admitted. Frowning, being _very_ careful, the eldest took hold of the other's chin and looked at the injury he'd caused, feeling another pang of guilt shooting through his chest.

Eyeing the moist, full and incredibly soft lips of his brother, Loz let his gaze trail down the lightly purple-blemished skin of his jaw, where his fist had connected. His brother truly was beautiful, and he had marred him… It seemed such a sacrilege now.

"Loz?" The question startled him out of his reverie, and the short haired teen laughed sheepishly, mumbling "I think it'll be healed in about half an hour or so…"

"Hn." Yazoo touched his face, too.

Suddenly their contact was broken when a silver whirlwind rushed onto the bed, roughly shoving Loz away from the other and furiously screaming, "What are you doing?! Haven't you hurt him enough already?"

Yazoo quickly grabbed for Kadaj's little fists before he could try to attack the oldest and punish him for his seeming misbehaviour.

"Kadaj, stop it please!"

The middle brother had a hard time holding the agitated, red faced youngest in place as the boy snarled and snapped with his teeth at Loz, panting heavily.

The offender in question lay half on his back staring at Kadaj, taken aback and trying to resolve the misunderstanding by weakly saying, "But I wasn't trying anything…"

Yazoo shot him a meaningful look of warning and took it upon himself to calm his littlest brother. Wrapping his arms around the boy's shoulders and putting his weight on the frail but nonetheless very energetic and surprisingly strong body he breathed, "Kadaj, listen to me, it's alright, he wasn't hurting me!"

Eventually getting the meaning of his words, Kadaj stopped struggling, but he still eyed the eldest with obvious distrust and venomous hate.

"It's alright now," Yazoo soothingly stroked his head, murmuring into his ear, "It was all a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding my ass!" Kadaj snorted, but refrained from any further attacks.

"But it was!" Loz tried to convince the boy, only to get a low growl in return.

"Kadaj…" Yazoo sighed unhappily, untangling himself from the mess of limbs he found himself caught in. "Loz and I really talked about it and he promised he won't do it again. It was a bad misunderstanding and I forgave him. Won't you do the same?"

"How can I?!" the boy flared up, near the verge of a peevish fit again. "He _hurt_ you, there was all the blood! I don't _care_ what excuses he made, I've _had_ it with him!"

"But…" Yazoo tried to reason, suddenly finding himself on the other end of Kadaj's wild stare, so he just dropped his shoulders. "Won't you do it for me? It would really mean very much to me to see you two make up again. Please?"

Gritting his teeth, Kadaj glowered at nothing in particular, until he finally threw his arms up in exasperation, hissing "Well, _fine_! I won't _kill_ him! But don't expect me to become all brotherly with him ever again!"

Yazoo smiled, pleased, and even planted a quick kiss on Kadaj's forehead, ignoring the miffed glares that were still being directed at Loz. "Thank you very much, I knew you would be mature enough to understand the situation," he complimented, noticing the embarrassed but proud blush that spread over Kadaj's childish features.

"Now, why don't you two shake hands and we go on?"

Reluctantly, Loz awkwardly held his hand towards the littlest, with a hopeful but frightened expression. Kadaj gazed at the outstretched hand like it was some venomous snake, but after a soft, encouraging prodding in the back from Yazoo, he roughly grabbed for Loz's hand, shaking it once rather violently. Hurriedly he let go of it and folded his arms over his chest again, defiant.

"See? It wasn't that bad, was it?" Yazoo smiled amiably at them, getting an uncertain nod from Loz and a huff from Kadaj.

"So, since we cleared up everything, why don't we watch that movie Kadaj wanted to see here together?"

Neither of them objected, glad that they didn't have to talk to each other, albeit for different reasons. Loz got the movie from Kadaj's room while the boy rolled over on his stomach and propped his head in his right palm, the other stroking his very much alive kitten which had decided to join the party sometime during their argument.

Yazoo brought some snacks from his fridge and tossed them on the bed, where they bounced a bit.

They watched the movie without any interruptions or further incidents, but out of the corner of his eye Yazoo observed the hostile glares Kadaj occasionally sent in Loz's direction and felt the awkward tension between them with satisfaction.

So the cat had been good for something after all.

**Is it just me or do I sense that people kind of... start to hate my poor Yazoo?! XD**

**purefoysgirl: **Thank you so much! I wrote a few chapters and as soon as I have checked them, I´ll send them to you :)

**SHM´s Lover:** Thank you so much, I am so happy that my story inflicted such strong emotions in you! I would have done exactly the same as Loz did, too, that´s why I wrote it :) Changing perspective with every character I write is something I try to achieve, I´m glad it worked. We´ll have to see if Kadaj can reach Yazoo´s heart, the future chapters will reveal... Thanks again for the review!

**sareyva:** I hope the chapter answers your question about Yazoo´s and Loz´s relationship, somehow:) At least on the outside everything seems relatively fine now. But as I said, Loz isn´t dumb, maybe he will still hold on to his bad feeling. We´ll see... I´m glad you liked it, thanks for reviewing!

**Xyleel:** Auweia... Yazoo nervt? Hm. Das ist nicht schön. Gut, er hat sich nicht besonders human verhalten in den letzten Kapiteln *seufz* Ich mag ihn trotzdem noch. Naja, hat ja wenigstens ein bissl Prügel abgekriegt, der Gute ;) Nur so als Hinweis: ein neues Kapitel von 'vampire' ist auch on. Danke für´s review!

**Valitiel:** And this is what was in the food disposal: parts of Kadaj and goulash XD Haha, I´m glad you liked! Thanks for taking the time and review!

**whitelanc3r:** Yes, he definitely has become quite manipulative, hasn´t he? Well, he has the best 'teacher' one can have, where these things are concerned... I´m glad you cared enough to comprehend the emotions, I think that´s the best comment a writer can get! And I like being evil, so there will be a cliffy in the next chapter;) Thanks again for reviewing!

**Review please?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi there! Thanks again for the great reviews and to my betas jsakurachan1 and purefoysgirl for their help!**

**Enjoy!  
**

8

"You're looking awfully pleased with yourself today," the general remarked as he entered his home office, finding a barely clothed Yazoo lolling in one of the black leather armchairs. The youth had Kadaj's kitten on his stomach and was stroking the purring animal, a tiny smile on his lovely face.

"Hn," the boy smirked, tilting his head to the side as he watched Sephiroth place his military hat on the desktop and gracefully free himself from his impressive, heavily medal-clad overcoat.

Taking his seat behind the large mahogany desk, the man reached for some unfinished paper work and took a sip from the steaming tea cup that awaited him.

"You're late today," Yazoo observed, fondling Kadaj's purring cat behind the ears.

"Someone has to bring in the money," the general pointed out, reaching for his stylograph, his attention still focused on the paper.

For a good ten minutes neither of them spoke, Sephiroth because he was busy with his documents and Yazoo because he didn't feel like talking, until he eventually grew bored.

"Shall I bring your food?" he inquired, teasing the cat by pulling at its ear and watching it indignantly try to claw at his ruthless hands.

"No," was the distracted reply. "I already ate."

"Hn?" Looking up at the general, who continued to write something next to a report unfazed, the boy's expression became slightly displeased. Apparently, he had spent half an hour in the kitchen for nothing, then. "Then you could have just called, you know…"

"Of course I could have done so," Sephiroth easily affirmed, smirking over his papers.

"Hn." Miffed, Yazoo let his hand—which held a piece of cotton for the cat to claw—fall back into his lap, not feeling like playing with the kitten any longer.

"Aw, I didn't spoil the kitten's mood now did I?" came the amused, velvety question from behind a stack of papers and books.

Yazoo didn't deign to answer the obvious.

"What made you so gleeful anyway?" the man queried, back to business again.

"Nothing in particular," Yazoo answered indifferently. "I just settled some matters with Loz and Kadaj."

"Oh?" Lifting an elegant eyebrow, the general briefly looked up from his work, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. "I see," he scoffed then, noticing the complacent look that graced his child's features. "With a brother like you, who needs enemies, mh?"

The smug smile that had tugged at Yazoo's lips vanished as he looked towards the general. "I have no idea what you're talking about. All I did was guarantee your tranquillity."

"And of course it only happened to accidentally secure _yours_ in the process," Sephiroth remarked nonchalantly from behind his paper as he took another sip from his cup, smug.

"Of course," the teen said, almost sarcastically, and summoned a pleasant smile to his pale lips though his eyes were frosty.

"Hn." The older man put the finished paper down, resting his fingertips together and expectantly looking at Yazoo. "Then, what did you do to save me from that pestering spawn?"

Stroking the cat's soft fur, the youth started narrating with smooth indifference, "Well, the two of them seemed rather close lately and I feared they might revolt against me. So…" he picked a bit of lint from the kitten's fur with his long fingers, "…I made Loz believe that I had dropped the cat into the trash chute and had them eat it. Loz got upset and a little violent. Before he noticed that it was a 'misunderstanding' the damage was already done and he had hit me in the face right in front of Kadaj. It would seem that their conspiratorial closeness has ended now. I believe that Kadaj would now _really_ rather eat the cat than voluntarily speak another word to Loz," he ended.

"Well, that was rather naughty of you," the other pondered, fairly entertained. "But I still don't see where _I_ am concerned in that little set-up of yours."

Cocking his head, Yazoo frowned lightly, explaining, "Hn, I assume it would have been to your disadvantage had they been scheming something again…"

"I see, well done then," the general said pensively, rising from his chair. He strode over to the shelves in that regal manner of his and began to absently study the book titles.

"But you see," he continued cryptically, "there is something about your story that is bothering me…"

Tilting his head in question, Yazoo followed his foster father's figure with slightly wary, emerald eyes. "What is it?"

"I am sure that you would probably notice yourself," Sephiroth mused "But since I have neither the time nor the patience to wait, how about a little allegory?" he asked, casting a glance over his left shoulder to confirm the boy's assured agreement. Satisfied with the nod he received, the general focused his attention back on the shelf, pulling out a book and flicking through it.

"Am I right in assuming that you cherish that motorcycle of yours?"

"Of course," the boy said matter-of-factly, an enthusiastic gleam briefly brightening his otherwise fathomless features.

"I thought so." The book was put back into the shelf and another one was chosen.

"Now just let us pretend that a non-specified character, let's say… walks by your machine and, may it be envy or simply lust for destruction, feels like scratching with his or her car key over that marvellous lacquer which you put so much effort into to polish and keep free from soiling." He observed Yazoo out of the corner of his eye to make sure that the boy was following him, and then snapped the book shut, slowly creeping towards Yazoo very much like a predator stalking its prey.

"Now, how would that make you feel, I wonder."

"Angry?" the teen hesitantly offered after a minute of careful consideration, the kitten in his lap forgotten.

"Ah, not quiet, but you are close. Imagine it to be a truly deep and long scratch."

Yazoo looked questioningly at Sephiroth, not liking where this was going.

" 'Furious' would be the suitable adjective here," the general answered himself, looking somewhat irritable suddenly and not the slightest bit amused anymore.

"You see my point?"

"Yes," Yazoo answered quietly.

"Now then, what would you assume we do with the perpetrator?" Sephiroth had stopped in front of the chair where Yazoo was lounging, taking the boy's chin into a firm grip and bending his face more into the light of the floor lamp, searching for remains of his earlier fight with Loz.

"I don't know…"

"Oh, come on, I'm sure you can at least come up with one idea, mh? Usually you seem to be rather creative where these things are concerned," the general purred, turning Yazoo's head to the other side.

"Well then, _usually_ I would assume that the culprit gets punished," the boy carefully said, enduring Sephiroth's inspection and the violent aura radiating from him without batting an eyelash.

"Usually?" the other inquired, eyes narrowed.

"In this special case punishment probably isn't even worth the effort since the problem can be fixed with another layer of lacquer and the culprit may have been already so traumatized by the realization of the nature of his wretched actions that he or she wouldn't even want to go near another bike again. Besides, wouldn't it be even more thrilling to know that one certainly has the _right_ to punish, but doesn't do it just because it lies within one's power?"

"No. It certainly would be a lot more entertaining to just butcher and drown the offender in his own blood." Growling the general let go of Yazoo's perfect and unblemished face, snorting, "You are watching too many bad movies."

The long haired teen refrained from commenting; it so happened that he had watched the movie in question together with Sephiroth on one of the rare occasions that his father neither felt much like talking nor having sex.

The discussion seemed to tire the man already. He strode back to his desk, opening his book as soon as he had taken a seat again, and declared, "I will let it slide this time, considering the special circumstance. Should I ever notice that either of the brats damaged any of my belongings again, however—" he lifted his gaze from Clausewitz´ '_On War_', to pierce his pet with it instead "—then heaven help them."

Nodding his understanding, Yazoo relaxed a bit, setting the cat on the floor because it was getting on his nerves. Since the storm was over (at least he supposed it was, one could never be sure where the general was concerned), the silver haired teen threw his bare legs over the armrest, leaning his head against the back of the cozy chair and asked, rather curious, "What were you referring to when you talked about a 'special circumstance'?"

"In all likelihood I would mean tomorrow," came the slightly impatient reply.

"Ah," Yazoo sighed, as if it was only _natural_ that he knew what _tomorrow _had to do with the 'special circumstance'.

Sephiroth looked up from his work again, gazing at his child and saying tensely, "Don't tell me you forgot what day it is tomorrow."

* * *

**Hehe, the promised cliffy is here ;) Soon (that is in the next two chapters) I´ll finally introduce new characters, so see you next weekend!**

**Valietel:** School will start soon, I´ll just cut their vacation down:D I´m glad this is AU, meaning I am GOD and can do everything I want here! XD Glad you liked it!

**purefoysgirl:** Haha, that´s how he is XD We´ll have to see if he´ll get anywhere with his manipulations... And I love the cat too, wish I could have one! Thanks for your help again!

**sareyva:** Yes, I´m trying to avoid plotholes as much as I can, it should be plausible after all. Wouldn´t make much sense to construct something that logic will blow away with a sigh... Poor Loz has my sympathy too, I´m torturing him quite a bit, eh? Well, we´ll see what the story has in store for them :) Thanks for reviewing!

**Xyleel:** Naja, Loz hat ihn ja mehr oder weniger (eher mehr XD) gegen die nächste Wand geklatscht, vielleicht kompensiert das ein bissl;) Wir sind eben alle Gefangene unserer Neigungen, Yazoo ist da auch keine Ausnahme. Kadaj wird sehr bald auch zum Zug kommen, keine Sorge (muss auch mal langsam zu seinen Psychosen kommen...), aber stimmt, in letzter Zeit war weniger aus seiner Sicht zu lesen. Bin am überlegen ob ich nicht eine ganz neue Story nur mit den dreien anfange (eine, in der sie mal zusammen halten), ich liebe die drei einfach zusammen! Sobald ich nen Plot oder ne Inspiration habe, mal sehen. Schön, dass es dich so mitreißt, das ist das beste Kompliment! Danke!

**whitelanc3r:** Am I evil now? Please? *puppy eyes* Haha, I hope your question is answered now, it was all an evil scheme by the naughty Yazoo. I´m gad you don´t hate him, he´s just who he is. Bad breeding. Thanks for reviewing, I´m glad you enjoyed it!

**YinYanWhiteTiger:** Hey there, good to see you again! I´m glad you still liked it despite your scepticism. You hate poor Yazzy o.O Well.... He deserves it XD Maybe. A little. Ah, what am I saying, I made him who he is! Still love him to bits. Yes, Loz is a poor boy. But we´ll see if he won´t get a little payback ;) Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like the new chapters!

**Review please?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks to purefoysgirl for helping me out again!**

* * *

­­­­­­9

Kadaj bounced along the corridor, his complaining kitten stuffed tightly under one arm and a badly wrapped package under the other. Humming an excited, formless tune, he made his way towards Yazoo's room, eager to see his brother. Along the way, he bumped into Loz, who was also carrying a package—the boy noticed with smug satisfaction that it was significantly smaller than his _own_. His satisfaction, however, did not extend to forgiving Loz, and one hostile glare at the eldest brother made the bigger boy shrink back, following at a respectable distance.

Reaching his goal, Kadaj grabbed the doorknob and shoved it open so hard it bounced off of the wall. With a grin that spread from ear to ear, he screamed in excited, exuberant glory, "_Happy Birthday, Yazzy_!"

His enthusiasm was considerably dampened, however, when he found himself _not_ confronted with the birthday boy, but instead staring into the blank face of his not-so-amused "father."

The man was leaning against the bedpost in a black shirt and dark, tight fitting trousers tucked into his heavy, black military boots. Even without the uniform, he was terrifying, made moreso by his impatience with waiting for Yazoo to finish showering and getting ready. The look that spread over his face clearly stated that the absolute last thing he needed right now was one of the brats ruining his good mood.

Almost as if to mock the general, Loz poked his own silver-haired head into the room, eyes searching anxiously for Yazoo.

Frozen with terror and paling at a rather impressive rate, the two boys just stared at him, gifts and congratulations forgotten.

The cat objected loudly to being squeezed even more tightly by its nervous little owner, but Kadaj couldn't help but tense up under the force of those cool, irritated eyes.

"I—I'm sorry, Sir, I thought…I didn't know you were at home today. Please excuse the inconvenience," Loz stammered, and hurried to bow deeply to the general, almost smashing his gift in one nervous fist.

Clearly unwilling to deal with them, Sephiroth just eyed them frostily and dismissed them with a condescending flick of his wrist.

Happy to escape so lightly, both boys made their departure and vanished to their respective rooms, eager to stay there for the rest of the day. It was a break in tradition for them, since they had _always_ celebrated their birthdays together, no matter the circumstances…but their foster-father had done nothing but disrupt their relationship with one another anyway. In part, it was to be expected.

Sephiroth idly stroked back his mane of long, luxurious hair, hearing the pattering of the shower die down. He had considered joining his pet to make him hurry, but it would almost certainly have taken longer that way. Besides, he needed the boy to be able to move, so such things would have to wait until later.

Yazoo emerged from the bathroom, vanishing into his wardrobe to choose an outfit that would please his father.

"Did something happen?" he inquired, searching for something elegant and not too flashy. He'd heard some faint commotion over the roar of the shower but he hadn't known what it was about.

"Nothing worth mentioning," Sephiroth replied, his voice languid and sultry, his eyes absently drifting to his watch.

Yazoo decided on black jeans and a black turtleneck, despite the fact that it was warm outside. Though extravagant, his choices in clothing were rather limited due to Sephiroth's possessiveness. His father didn't want him showing off his body to the public, forcing the boy to wear concealing clothing whenever they left the mansion. It didn't bother Yazoo enough to rouse any complaints.

As he rammed his feet into a pair of black, steel-toed boots, he idly wondered where Sephiroth would take him. The man had been rather secretive about their trip, only going so far as to complaisantly pat Yazoo's head, smirking.

After a quick check in the mirror, the boy decided that he was dressed decently enough for most anything. He flipped his long hair over his shoulder and left the wardrobe to join his foster-father.

As it turned out, the general had decided to take Yazoo on a shopping trip. It was out of character for him to take Yazoo out in public since he wanted to avoid any possible rumours—not only about their rather amoral relationship, but also about the fact that Sephiroth had adopted the children in the first place. To offset this concern, the general had exercised his vast power and rented a designer shop solely for his own use. It was entirely theirs for the day and they made excessive use of it; or, rather, _Sephiroth_ did.

He made Yazoo try on an obscene amount of clothing (including a slightly disturbing school-girl outfit) while he sat back and enjoyed the show. Really, it was a little hard to tell whose birthday it actually _was_, but as long as the general was pleased—and, judging from the three 'pauses' they had in the changing room, he _was_—everything was fine. By the end of the day, Yazoo owned a whole new wardrobe, to include the disturbing school-girl uniform, and they made their way back to the mansion.

In the car, Yazoo leaned his head against the cool, darkened glass, a little exhausted. He switched on the radio, searching for a classical station. His searching paused, however, when he stumbled across a special news report about a man by the name of Tseng who had been found dead in his apartment just hours ago. According to the police he had died under suspicious circumstances. The officer in charge of the investigation, Vincent Valentine, hoped that the autopsy would clear things up.

Yazoo and Sephiroth looked at each other in unison, and the car altered course with a screech of its wheels.

Upon reaching the apartment complex, Sephiroth eased his way through the masses of news-crews and emergency response personnel. A policeman helping to hold the curious crowds at bay recognized the general's distinctive Jaguar and waved them through the barrier.

"Wait here," Sephiroth ordered Yazoo, leaving the car and shutting the door behind him.

Through the tinted glass, the boy watched him walk over to the group of policemen. The ambulance stood ready with medics in attendance, the sun slowly setting on the blue and red flicker of the emergency lights.

While Sephiroth was demanding status reports of the officers, all of whom immediately straightened and saluted him, something else caught Yazoo's impassive eyes.

The black body-bag was being carried down to the ambulance on a litter, and behind it followed a tall, raven-haired man with a startlingly red cloak. He held a little notebook in his gloved hands and looked at it thoughtfully, clearly preoccupied.

A few steps away was a blond woman that Yazoo recognized as being Kadaj's teacher, Elena. She was, apparently, in some kind of shock and was being treated by the medics. Yazoo assumed that she had been the one to find her fellow teacher.

Almost as if drawn against his will, Yazoo's eyes returned to that mysterious officer. When the man looked up and saw Sephiroth himself standing with the others, he looked visibly startled. He drew himself up and hid all traces of surprise as he strode over to join them.

Expressionless, Yazoo let the window slide down a little so that he could overhear the conversation.

"…surprise to see you here, General Sephiroth," the red-cloaked man said, his voice sonorous and deep. They shook hands briefly, professionals at their best.

"I wish we were meeting under better circumstances," Sephiroth smoothly said, giving the man a tight smile. "I thought I would offer my services, should you need any help with your case. There _will_ be a case, I take it, Inspector Valentine? It sounds as if there is foul play involved."

"There isn't much evidence, as yet. According to the coroner, he has been dead for a few days now, but the autopsy will show the exact cause of death."

The silver-haired general just gave a short nod, attempting to respond when Elena, spotting him from her hunched position near the ambulance, suddenly rushed to throw herself on his chest, crying and sobbing incoherently.

Recovering from the unexpected attack, Sephiroth held her away from him by her shoulders, keeping her from staining his freshly laundered coat with her tears, saying in a somewhat dispassionate manner, "There, there, I am sure everything will be fine."

He shot a silent order at one of the medics and the man hurried to take her away.

Vincent Valentine looked after her slumped, retreating form and then back at Sephiroth, who was gracefully straightening his mussed coat. "She is an acquaintance?"

"Barely," Sephiroth retorted, removing a blond hair from his coat with the tips of his fingers and raising an eyebrow in disgust at it. He looked back at Vincent and said, "Well, I will leave this in your capable hands. If you need anything from me or my people to assist in your investigation, please do not hesitate to contact me."

Vincent humbly inclined his head, but the general had already started on his way back to the car.

While Sephiroth got back into the Jaguar, Yazoo felt the fathomless gaze of that inspector fasten onto him, even though the tinted glass kept the boy safe from view. Still, for an unsettling moment it felt like their eyes locked, and Yazoo was almost certain that the man had seen him somehow.

Letting his indifferent eyes wander back to his father, Yazoo slid the window shut and Sephiroth eased them back onto the crowded streets.

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** So, uhm. This was a little rushed compared to the rest (I had considered elaborating their shopping trip but then I need to get on with the actual plot, so I skipped that...). But there´s a new character: say hello to Vincent Valentine! :) And I bet you are disappointed about 'tomorrow', aren´t you? In retrospective I noticed how dramatic it sounded and what it turned out to be isn´t really THAT spectacular... Well, I hope you liked it anyway :)  
**

**YinYangWhiteTiger: **No, comparing the amount of reviews I get, 'Abuse' was less 'famous' XD But the stats say that I have about 50 readers for each chapter, and 6 decide to review, I´d say that is a lot! But thanks, I´ll always be happy about more love ;) There are new characters showing up in this story, you´ll see! Thanks for reviewing!

**purefoysgirl:** This time it was quite a lot to correct, uh? I´m sorry... Anyway, I _had_ to change the driver thing, it just didn´t feel right. Hopefully it is still plausible now. And thanks again for your immense help!

**Valitiel:** Hahaha, in the end, 'tomorrow' was far less dramatic than I had suggested it would be ;) Just a plain birthday. And yeah, I don´t know if Kadaj would actually eat poor Berny, but at least he´s out of sorts with Loz now. Glad you liked it!

**sareyva:** Hehe, you could say they´ve come to a silent agreement;) Yes, Sephiroth is a little unpredictable at times, hence Yazoo could not have known how he´d react. And then he´s only 14 years old so it is to be expected that despite his genius he´ll make mistakes. But luckily for Loz, everything went smoothly. A road trip, omg! They would have to introduce a new rating type for all the blood and violence that would ensue! XD But if you squint, it was a mini road trip :) Thanks for reviewing and sharing your highly entertaining thought with me!

**whitelanc3r: **Okay, I´ll give my best then! Although I fear that I wasn´t very good in this chapter... Hope you liked it, though!

**Xyleel:** Der sprichwörtliche Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Stamm und so, nich? XD Naja, wie gesagt hat sich Yazoo ja auch ein bissl für Loz eingesetzt (und ich denke ich kann hier auch 'verraten' dass Yazoo Sephiroth NICHT dazu ermutigt hat, seine Brüder zu verprügeln. Ganz so einen an der Klatsche hat er dann doch nicht...). Ja wegen der Story mit den dreien: das kann wohl noch eine Weile dauern, ich erlebe zum ersten mal die Unfreuden einer Schreibblockade und habe so gar keine richtigen Ideen (außer einer ziemlich kranken und brutalen: wir-wurschteln-uns-durch-einen-apokalyptischen-Krieg-Plotline. Aber mir ist irgendwie mal nach etwas leichterem und weniger dramatischen...). Sollte _dir_ etwas einfallen, dann immer her damit :)

**Well then everybody, have a nice weekend, and if you feel like it I´d be happy if you would leave me a little review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello again:)** ** I´m updating pretty regularly, am I not (compared to 'Abuse', that is...)? *feels a little proud* That´s mainly because of your awesome support ;)**

**A big thanks to purefoysgirl for betaing!  
**

**Enjoy!**

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10

Kadaj sat in the kitchen, sulking and stirring his hot cocoa, one arm wrapped around his bent legs. He sat in his chair, gloomy and absent-mindedly stroking his purring kitten.

He hadn't had a chance to give Yazoo his present yet—as soon as they had come back from their shopping trip, Loz had been ordered to carry the bags up into Yazoo's room and Kadaj had been ignored. Yazoo and the General had both instantly withdrawn into the former's quarters once Loz had finished, and it was relatively safe to assume that he wouldn't catch a glimpse of either of them for the rest of the evening. Dejected, the boy had retreated to the kitchen to have a "party" all by himself.

Really, everything had been so much better before they had come here…Sure, they had been poor but at least they had been together. Inwardly, he cursed the day that Sephiroth had appeared at the orphanage doors and declared that they would live with him from then on.

At first the three brothers had been overjoyed to finally get away from the run-down orphanage with its bullying inhabitants and strict, cold nuns. Furthermore, Sephiroth had seemed like a vision from heaven—majestic and magnificent, the father every boy dreamed of having. It had, in fact, been a secret dream of Kadaj's to be adopted by his hero, by this celebrated general. The man had shown up with the promise of a better life, but Kadaj's illusions of home and family had been grounded rather quickly. Sephiroth hadn't given them a loving home, hadn't tried to be a father to them. Every childish dream fuelled by television reports and newspaper articles had given way before the awful truth of their new life.

Instead of the caring, superhuman being who was the nation's hero and guardian angel, the man turned out to be a cold egomaniac, downright sadistic in his dealings with his "children."

Snorting, Kadaj absently swirled his spoon through his steaming cup. He had no idea why the general had taken all three of them in since he obviously only wanted Yazoo and clearly despised both Kadaj and Loz. They boy didn't know what kind of relationship Sephiroth had with his brother, but he was sure it wasn't right, and he knew he didn't like it…

A rapping at the front door made him look up in surprise. Frowning, he glanced towards the kitchen door, wondering who would want to pay them a visit at such a late hour. They very rarely ever had guests. The boy began to think he'd imagined it, but another knock, rather impatient this time, convinced him otherwise. Still a little wary, Kadaj slipped from his seat and but Bernhard down before shuffling to the entrance hall. He would take care of whoever it was himself, he wouldn't dare interrupt the general when he was with Yazoo.

His confusion over the late-night guest combined with his memories of the _last_ time he'd let someone into the house wound up derailing Kadaj from his destination. Reluctant to open the door himself, he overcame his grudge against Loz long enough to bully him to the front door.

The older boy followed him with grumpy impatience—he'd been on the phone with Tifa and wasn't exactly happy to be disturbed; however, he understood his brother's fear and he wanted to clear things up himself. Perhaps, between the two of them, they could take care of this visitor and send him or her on their way.

Moments later he was nervously waiting in front of Yazoo's closed door, though the guest remained outside. Clearing his throat, he took a deep breath and softly knocked. He didn't expect it to swing open so forcefully, nor did he expect to be greeted with Sephiroth's very impatient and displeased stare.

"What?" he growled, making the teen back up a step. The boy's nervous eyes briefly tried to look past his father for Yazoo, but the general's impressive figure effectively blocked his view.

"I…I'm sorry to disturb you, Sir, but there i…is a person at the door who wants to see you…"

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed but he stepped outside of the darkened room and closed the door firmly behind him, giving Loz no chance to see inside.

Ignoring the teen's trembling figure, the general marched down the hallway with long, graceful strides, Loz hurrying behind at a proper distance with his head lowered in defeat.

Kadaj was waiting in the dimly lit hall. He nervously licked his lips and bowed as Sephiroth stopped in front of him. After an icy, appraising look, the man turned towards the door and opened it, irritation radiating off of him in waves. He clearly did not appreciate being bothered in the middle of the night, especially when he was about to have his well-deserved way with his child!

His sharp rebuke stuck in his throat, however, when he was met with a sunny smile, a cheery wave, and a happy, "Hi, Seph! Long time, no see!"

Puzzled, the man stepped back, letting go of the door.

Loz and Kadaj peeked curiously from behind his back, looking at the man standing in the doorway. Their late-night visitor had wild black hair, friendly eyes, and a large smile plastered on his handsome face. He was wearing a soldier's uniform and had a huge black bag resting by his feet.

Sephiroth recovered quickly from his surprise.

"Zack Fair," he growled, his voice not even a fraction as enthusiastic as the other's.

"The one and only!" the young man said with a wink, heaving his bag up onto his shoulder and marching into the mansion without even waiting for the other to invite him in. "Man, it's really been awhile! How long, now? Nine years? Ten, even? I must say, you've gotten yourself quite a fancy house and—" he broke off when his assessing gaze wandered over the interior and laded on the two boys, both of whom shyly but curiously looked at him from lowered eyes. Dropping his duffel in consternation, the soldier looked back at Sephiroth and said with a frown, "It's _really_ been awhile…"

Ignoring his questioning and utterly bewildered look, Sephiroth closed the door and slowly came towards them, coldly saying, "As you can see, I am rather busy right now. So if we could discuss whatever brought you here tomorrow at the Bureau—"

"Ah, I'm afraid that won't work," the other interrupted, scratching his head and looking a little lost as he forced his stunned gaze away from the boys. "You know I just came back from my foreign assignment and, since they weren't prepared for the presence of yours truly, they decided that I should stay here for a few nights until something is set up…hehee…"

"…I beg your pardon?" Sephiroth looked positively flabbergasted.

"Yeah, it's just a few nights…But I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun! We can talk about the old days and get hammered and talk about what we did all these years! I bet you have a hell of a lot of interesting stories to tell!" Mr. Fair threw a meaningful look towards the two children, standing with his back to the stairs and failing to see the third brother walking down in nothing but his black robe. Inclining his head in question, Yazoo exchanged a brief glance with the unhappy general, who implemented a silent order.

Sephiroth then turned towards his uninvited guest and curtly informed him, "I will clarify this."

He vanished into the salon to make his phone call, determined to change the current arrangements at any cost and get an explanation for this horrendous situation.

Zack just shrugged and turned his attention to the two boys in front of him. Leaning forward, his hands braced on his thighs, he smiled at them and amiably said, "Hey, there. I'm Zack, an old friend of Seph's. I'm sure you've heard of me?"

The boys shook their heads in unison, utterly confused. What kind of person was this _Zack_ guy to call their Master 'Seph' and _not_ be sliced down on the spot?! Was he like their father? Would he, too, be cruel and unpredictable? It worried the boys, because he seemed so nice…

Zack looked a little disappointed but instantly returned to smiling once again, shrugging as he said, "Well, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, he isn't a person to talk about the past anyway. So, who am I speaking with, then?"

He looked at both Kadaj and Loz with open, friendly curiosity.

Kadaj was the first to overcome his anxiety. He looked up, his back straight and stiff, and said in a voice that was just a bit too loud, "I'm Kadaj, sir!"

"Oh! Hello, there, Kadaj! Nice to meet you!" A hand was held out to the startled boy. He shook it quickly, withdrawing with a bow to cower a little beside Loz. Loz himself mumbled his name nervously without lifting his head, shifting his weight in anxiety while he glanced towards the salon.

"Wow, you sure are well-mannered boys, but there's no need to be so formal around me, okay?" Zack offered, rising to his full height and watching them nod again with a mirthful smile. He then became aware of another figure standing behind him and he turned around, facing a warmly smiling Yazoo.

The man beamed at the boy as soon as he saw him, and bowed a little with his arm gallantly behind his back, asking, "And who is this beautiful little lady, here?"

Yazoo's smile became a little stiff and his eyes went cold, but the next moment he was back to his charming self again, clearing his throat softly and saying in his deep, unmistakably masculine voice, "My name is Yazoo. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

To the sharp eye, he didn't look pleased at all, even less so when he heard the barely muffled snickers coming from his siblings.

"Yeah, uhm…I'm sorry! I'm Zack, Zack Fair," he said, awkwardly shaking Yazoo's slender hand, more than a little embarrassed.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yazoo saw the general standing in the salon with his cell in hand and his expression growing darker by the moment until it was downright homicidal.

His attention returned to their guest, however, as Zack started to curiously question his brothers, and Kadaj had just loudly, indignantly exclaimed, "We're _not_ his children!"

Zack held up his hands in mock surrender, a little surprised by the heated answer, laughing, "Okay, okay! I get it!"

"Actually, Sephiroth was kind enough to adopt us," Yazoo said, stepping in with a warning look at the littlest, who averted his gaze and gathered up Bernhard from the floor as an excuse to look away from his brother.

Zack looked even more stunned at this, but he returned Yazoo's casual smile.

"I see," he simply said, turning his attention back to the miffed Kadaj, whom he felt he had to make up to somehow. With a note of approval in his cheerful voice, he said, "That's a cute kitten you have there!"

Kadaj's mood brightened instantly as he clutched the furball even closer to his chest and said with a loving, proud smile, "Isn't he? His name is Bernhard Heinrich Eisenherz von Stieglitz the First!"

A hearty laugh echoed through the hall, followed by the amused announcement, "That's one hell of a name! May I pet him?"

Kadaj contemplated this for a moment before graciously offering the kitten for Zack to pet. The man ruffled the purring little cat's ears, crooning to it.

Yazoo cast a glance over his shoulder and saw the general pacing through the salon, rubbing his temple and occasionally saying something into the phone. After a short glance at Loz to tell him matters would be in his hands for awhile, Yazoo politely excused himself and strode into the other room, closing the doors behind him. His friendly expression dropped off of his face like a mask and he gave Sephiroth a dark look.

The man snapped his phone shut and looked ready to rip someone apart. He didn't deign to explain anything just yet, he just went to the mini-bar and poured himself a glass of whiskey, slowly sipping it.

Leaning against the polished wooden doors, Yazoo patiently waited for his foster father to finish his drink and ponder the problem.

Eventually, Sephiroth put the glass aside and calmly ordered, "You will take care of those brothers of yours over the next few days. Fair will stay at the estate for the foreseeable future. I will enforce his transfer at the earliest possible time. Until then, I will have to bear with his presence and _you_ will make sure that everything goes smoothly where those spawn are concerned."

Yazoo inclined his head in silent affirmation, but Sephiroth grabbed his chin and made him look up into his stern face, whispering in that friendly, dangerous way of his, "I will not tolerate failure in this, do you understand me?"

"Hn."

"That's a good boy."

Fairly satisfied, Sephiroth let go of him. After a long, silent moment, he finally looked up and opened the salon door. He stepped into the hall where Zack and Kadaj were still talking, with Loz a nervous bystander. The general came to a halt beside his "friend," informing him with clipped, tight words, "Yazoo will show you to your room now. I am sorry, but we will have to cut our reunion short. It is late and the children have to go to bed now."

Zack looked a little disappointed, but nodded his understanding. Ruffling Kadaj's hair, he straightened from his crouch, saying, "Well then, see you tomorrow!" and followed Yazoo's inviting gesture towards the stairs.

After a last glance and a wink over his shoulder, the black-haired soldier left the rest of the party behind.

As soon as the two were out of sight, Sephiroth turned on his heel and led the way to the other stairs with nary a word, needing no confirmation that his children were following him with terrified obedience.

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**Ha, I had SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much fun writing this XD Another new character and more troubel for Yaz and Sephy *evil grin***

**Valitiel: **Did I say that Vincent would become the new math teacher? *thinks hard* I first had him in mind, but then I changed arrangements :) So he probably won´t suffer from MPD XD I have to admit I still take job applications for the post of the math teacher, but I´m sure I will find someone competent! And sorry for the "Tomorrow"- thing again XD

**Xyleel: **Naja, wenn man die ganze Zeit damit beschäftigt ist, üble Sachen zu planen kann das schon mal passieren, dass man seinen eigenen Geburtstag vergisst;) Haha, ja die Schulmädchenuniform. Ich übe mich gerade im smut schreiben (erstes Exemplar befindet sich übrigens bei animexx, nur für den Fall dass Interesse besteht. Ist eine PWP-Lozoo- Story ;)), vielleicht werde ich das mal elaborieren XD

**sareyva:** Hehe yes, Sephy is such an egomanic, always just thinking about his own fun;) Of course there are ulterior motives behind his offer. I am glad you liked it!

**YinYangWhiteTiger:** Did I get you right that you do not like the Seph/Yaz pairing? XD I am very sorry to hear that about your broken computer! That´s really a shame because I actually was looking forward towards the next chapter of your story... I hope you can fix it soon!

**Aiko Celeste:** Hi there again! I am glad you like the sequel too! Yeah, I am pretty sure Yazoo would get some help if it would be revealed what is going on with the 'family'. Thanks for reviewing!

**whitelanc3r:** I love Vincent too! *suppresses a fit of fangirlism* He´ll make another appearance soon!

**Hopefully till next week!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, I´m sorry that this is a really short chapter, the next one will be longer again, I promise! Thanks to my awesome beta purefoysgirl for the help and also for the break-signs :)**

**Enjoy!**

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**11

"Whoa, this is a really big house!" Zack exclaimed, impressed. He turned in circles and took in every detail as they walked down the long hallway.

Yazoo arched an elegant eyebrow at him, his back to his guest, but politely said, "Yes, it proves to be rather convenient in case a surprise guest decides to grace us with a rare visit."

"Yeah," Zack said, frowning as he hurried to catch up. Walking next to Yazoo in a casual, easy way, he shifted the weight of his bag over his shoulder and tried to make some small talk with, "So, Yazoo, was it?"

The other nodded obligingly but kept silent.

Scratching his head and giving an endearing, lopsided grin, Zack again apologized for his mistake, "Really sorry about earlier. I'm such a dork sometimes."

"There is no need to apologize," Yazoo softly said, looking straight ahead and walking calmly down the corridor.

"Uh, you're kind of tough, aren't you?" the man laughed, adding, "If someone had mistaken me for a chick at your age, I would've given them a good piece of my masculine mind!" He flexed his hand into a fist as demonstration.

"Well, I don't know why I should be offended by being mistaken for a female. It is not as if the other gender is inferior. I have nothing against women."

Zack let his fist drop, looking slightly overwhelmed, and hastily agreed, "Of course, I have nothing against them, either! Actually, I _love_ women!" A dreamy look clouded his blue eyes for a moment before he murmured, "I just never saw it like that…"

The conversation ended when Yazoo stopped before a room and opened the door, switching on the light.

"If this suits you, these will be your quarters for the time being. There are fresh towels in the drawer, and fresh bedding."

Zack looked around the chamber with its high windows, rich carpets, mahogany furniture, and golden mirrors with something like awe. Throwing his bag on the huge, four-poster bed, he nodded a little.

Waiting by the door with his hands folded demurely before him, Yazoo patiently asked, "May I ask if I can bring you something to eat? I am sure you must be hungry from your journey."

"Ah, no, I'm alright, I ate. I just need a capful of sleep, that's all!" Zack waved his hand in dismissal, giving the bathroom a curious glance.

"Very well, then. If there is anything you need, please do not hesitate to call me. My room is at the other end of the hallway. I wish you a good night, then."

The silver-haired youth bowed, a fine strand of hair falling over one slender shoulder.

Zack wished him a good night, too, from the bathroom.

Having fulfilled his task, Yazoo returned to his own quarters.

_~*******~_

Sephiroth's cold eyes watched his littlest awkwardly changing into his pyjamas, nervously aware of his foster-father standing by the bed. He didn't like the man being in his room and honestly had no idea what the general wanted. Clearing his throat and keeping his eyes glued to the carpet, the boy eventually asked in his humblest voice, "May I go to bed now?"

"You may," was the cold reply, but the general still didn't show the slightest inclination to leave Kadaj's room.

Hastily scurrying under the blankets, Kadaj shivered despite the warmth and tucked the sheet under his nose.

It was then that a small, silver furball slipped through the open door to drowsily stumble for Kadaj's arms. It never made it there, though.

Bernhard was snatched up by the scruff to dangle from Sephiroth's elegant hand.

Kadaj sat up in shock, biting back a protest, one look from the general enough to silence any thought of crying out. He bit his lip instead, his small hands clenched in the sheets.

"Now, what do we have here?" the silver-haired man purred with mock puzzlement. "Is this yours?" He threw a sideways glance at the boy on the bed, who tried very hard not to flinch.

Stubbornly, Kadaj muttered, "No, sir, it's Yazoo's…It's just that…he allows me to take it to bed sometimes."

His father's cool, calculating eyes made a fine, cold sweat break out all over his small, trembling body.

"Oh?" Sephiroth held the cat up eye-level, observing it thoroughly from all sides, and then spoke in a casual tone to Kadaj, "You do know what will await you if you try lying to me, don't you?"

This time Kadaj couldn't suppress his shiver. He licked his lips and helplessly said, "I…I'm sorry, I…Yes, sir, it's mine…kind of…actually, it's Yazoo's but it's mine, I found it…C—can I have him back, now?"

He gave his father a pleading look. He hated himself for his weakness in this moment, but even his pride took second place to his fear for Bernhard.

The general arched an eyebrow, but eventually held the yawning kitten out towards his child.

Relieved, Kadaj reached for his precious kitten with both hands, but Sephiroth snatched it back before he could get near him.

"You will not get it back now. Consider it punishment for trying to lie to me," the man informed him, the kitten still dangling from his hand. "If you behave over the next few days, I see no reason why you should not have it back. Until then, it will stay in my custody."

The warning was more than clear—what would happen if Kadaj didn't comply, if he caused trouble.

The door closed with a click, leaving the boy alone in his bed, silently crying with anger and wretched, hurt fear.

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**Hehe, Yazoo- the feminist XD Sorry.**

**whitelanc3r: **Hehe, yes I thought there was a need for another antagonist and Zack seemed to be the right person to cheer things a little up. I hope I get his personality right ;)

**YinYangWhiteTiger:** I don´t want to spoil too much, but by now the chances are good that Zack will survive the story ;) Hehe, good to hear that everything´s alright again!

**Valitiel: **Glad you liked it! Unfortunately Rude and Reno already were mentioned in another context :( But I´ll find a solution!

**purefoysgirl:** Hehe, yes, maybe Zack should really just steal them away;) Would be healthier for everyone involved...

**SHM´s lover & Seph/Zack´s:** Haha, your suggestion is very tempting but I´m afraid it won´t work like that ;) Hope you´ll like it though!

**sareyva:** Zack´s relationship with Sephy will be revealed later of course. And I am fairly certain he will not die. But you´ll never know... *evil grin*

**Xyleel:** Auf jeden Fall braucht Kadaj mehr liebe, und genau deswegen habe ich Zack in die Story eingebaut :) Schön, dass die Story noch nicht vorhersehbar geworden ist, das ist ja meine größte Angst.

**Sorry again for the short chapterbut I hope you´ll still tell me what you think about it?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Before we start I´d like to thank my awesome beta purefoysgirl for proofreading this!**

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12

"Good morning!" Zack shouted gaily upon entering the brightly lit kitchen, a towel draped around his bare shoulders and loose trousers hanging from his hips.

The room smelled of freshly brewed coffee and bacon with eggs, much to the man´s delight. A full plate and a glass of orange juice already waited for him, and Yazoo greeted him nicely and motioned him towards it with a graceful wave of his hand..

Sitting down with a "thanks," Zack started to greedily stuff himself with the breakfast, too intent on his food to pay much attention to the others. Loz was typing with his cell anyway, frowning, and Yazoo had gone back to the stove to make another portion.

Kadaj was sitting on his chair with big, dark shadows under his eyes and his small head hanging. Sensing the boy's distress, Zack looked up from his plate with his fork still in his mouth and gave the boy a curious glance.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you so gloomy, kiddo?"

A fresh plate with bacon blocked his view momentarily as Yazoo set it down on the table. With a glance at his littlest brother he amicably explained, "Kadaj just had a bad night, didn't you, Kadaj?"

Kadaj lifted his tired head, forcing a half-hearted smile to his thin lips and nodding. 'Bad night' was a blatant understatement—he had been haunted by horrible nightmares concerning Bernhard and Sephiroth and his father being in a not-so-good mood. But when he had come to Yazoo this morning, telling him about his misery, the older brother had just told him to stop worrying and that he would make sure that Bernhard was alright. It had made Kadaj feel a lot better but still, he was tired and felt a little lonely without the familiar weight of his kitten on his lap.

"I see…" Zack frowned, shoving another forkful of food into his mouth.

"By the way, Sephiroth wants you to know that an urgent assignement came up but that he will be back in the evening. He also said that you should enjoy yourself while he is away," Yazoo informed their guest, sitting down in his own seat.

"Poor guy," Zack sighed, pushing the plate away from him and shaking his head a little, "It's Sunday and he has to work."

He didn't get much sympathy from the rest of the group, mainly because Loz was busy and didn't even listen, Yazoo knew that Sephiroth was leaving no stone unturned to get rid of his guest right now and Kadaj just simply had no pity for his father at all.

"Ah, I have an idea!" Zack spoke up again suddenly, mirth twinkling in his eyes. "How about we all play something? Maybe like…" he looked thoughtful for a moment, "hide and seek or something? I always wanted to do this in such a big house, I´m sure there are lots of excellent hiding spots here!"

"Sorry, have a lesson later," the oldest mumbled, not even looking up from his cell as his fingers flew over the keyboard.

"I have to decline the offer, too. There is something I have to work on," Yazoo said, giving him a fake apologetic look.

"Uh, that's a pity. Well, then, it's just the two of us, huh?" The black haired soldier expectantly eyed the youngest, who had been the sole reason for his suggestion anyway, and Kadaj looked a little hesitant, but excited nontheless.

"Yeah, guess so…" he threw a questioning look at the middle brother who just gave an affirming nod and graciously declared, "Go have fun. I will do the dishes myself."

Gratefully, the boy jumped to his feet and walked swiftly around the table to hug his brother's slim form. With a hopeful smile, he grabbed Zack's hand and dragged the smiling man into the hallway.

xxxXxxxXxxx

"Kadaj?" Frowning, the soldier peeked into the room and hesitantly entered as he found it empty. If he had known what would come of it, he probably would have thought twice about his offer. He hadn´t suspected the house to be _that_ big! The hiding possibilities were nearly infinite, except for the few rooms that he had found to be locked. He was searching for almost two hours now and still hadn't so much as seen a glimpse of the little silver head!

Sighing, he closed the door behind him and had a thorough look through the chamber. Now this was rich. Literaly. Frowning, Zack had a look through the stuffed room, shaking his head slightly.

Next to the door was a large desk, full with open books and papers, someone had scribbled full with neat handwriting. One wall was completely covered with bookshelves that held nothing else than that: books. But what caught his trained eye most was an antique wardrobe, big enough to hide a little boy like the one he was searching for. Grinning, the man exclaimed in a loud and disappointed tone, "Damn, he isn't here either. Just where could he be?" He opened and closed the door behind him, pretending that he had left the room, and then he tiptoed towards the wardrobe. With a sudden movement and a triumphant smile, he yanked the doors open. Instead of finding Kadaj, though, he saw himself confronted with bony limbs and a skull that unexpectedly attacked him and knocked him to the ground. Cursing and startled, the soldier struggled under the weight, briefly asking himself in mock concern if Kadaj could possibly have turned into a skeleton due to his inability to find him soon enough.

"May I ask what you are doing here?"

Stopping his fidgeting attempts to get free, the soldier stilled and looked up to find Yazoo gazing down at him with that cool, expressionless look on his face, his hands clasped gracefully behind his back.

"Uh, sorry, I-" he flung a skeletal hand out of his face. "I'm searching for Kadaj. It's my turn, you know..." he trailed off, and then asked with a wink, "This couldn't be him, could it?"

"No." Yazoo finally deigned to gather the skeleton from his guest and put it under his arm, holding out his free hand to help Zack up.

"Haha, I guess not," the man scratched his head, and smiled at the other. He looked at the bunch of bones in Yazoo´s arms with a frown and asked, "What's this?"

"This," the silver haired boy briefly glanced at the thing carefully held in his arm, "Is Igor."

"Igor," the other echoed, folding his arms over his broad chest and awkwardly eyeing the skeleton.

"Yes," Yazoo affirmed, carefully arranging it back on its holder in the wardrobe. "I need it for my anatomy studies," he then explained lightly, closing the doors and turning around with a small smile on his lips.

"Really," the other asked, looking curious, but furrowing his brows still. "What do you need that for? I bet your biology books have lots of pictures."

Yazoo gave a small laugh, shaking his head "I do not need it for school purposes only. It will help prepare me for my future occupation."

"Ah, I see," the soldiers features brightened. "So, you want to become a doctor?"

"Yes," the silver haired teen smiled almost shyly.

"Man, that's impressive," Zack stated, looking exactly like he meant it.

"Thank you," Yazoo bowed a little, looking slightly embarressed by the praise.

"I mean that's great, really. You´re going to help a lot of people and heal them. That´s a respectable job and I believe not many people are fit to do this. You see, if I learned anything in the military it's how easy it is to take lives, but how hard it is to save them."

He looked very serious all of a sudden. "Saving lives… Yes, that truly is an honourable goal. So, may I ask what kind of doctor you want to be?"

"Forensic pathologist."

"…Oh. Okay." Zack looked a bit taken aback, but covered his confusion quickly enough, laughing uncomfortably, "Well, I guess there also have to be people that cut open the corpses, eh?"

Yazoo smiled at him innocently, giving a short nod.

"So yeah…What do you do up here all alone?"

The soldier followed Yazoo's look towards his book-laden desk, saying "I see," and frowning again. "You've got summer holidays, don't you?"

The silver haired teen inclined his head in question. "Yes. Why?"

Strolling over to the boy's work place, Zack distractedly looked over some of the pages and titles before he turned around to Yazoo again, asking "You don't meet with friends or something? I mean it's great weather and I bet you could have a lot more fun than sticking your nose into dusty books about…" his gaze trailed of over a title and, with a lifted eyebrow, the black haired man ended with a distracted, "_'The Process of Death and Decomposition_'…Honestly, why don't you just call over a few friends and have a good time?"

"Friends?" The word coming from the youth's mouth sounded like he was saying something in a foreign language for the first time, and his unenthusiastic face made Zack inwardly groan.

"Yeah, you know, guys you can hang out with," he offered, but Yazoo looked still dismissive, and with a polite smile answered "Well, thank you for your concern but I'd rather stay here."

Before the odd silence between them could settle, the teen smilingly offered, "I assume you will have more luck if you search in the garden, especially near the garage."

"Ah, thanks, I haven't searched there yet."

The silver haired boy just bowed again, and Zack somehow felt compelled to mimic his actions, waving a short goodbye and shaking his head as he went off into the garden.

* * *

**I think Igor is such a great name! I have a spider that I named Igor, but I guess it´s already gone of into hibernation :( (At least it doesn´t sit in the corner of my living room anymore. And since Igor is rather fat, hairy and hardly to overlook I just hope it hasn´t fallen accidently victim to my vacuum cleaner... See you next spring Igor!)**

**Anyway, on to the reviews:**

**YinYangWhiteTiger: **Yay for Zack :D Yes, I think we´ll see Reno again, but he won´t be paired up with Rude, so don´t worry -.- My AU´s a hetero dominated society (which does not mean that I do not support BL of course!) so homosexual relationships are not taken for granted. I referenced to Rude when Tifa appeared for the first time. I made a reference to Rude in chapter 15 of 'Abuse': _"Stop drooling, will ya?" His best buddy Rude murmured, an amused gleam in his eyes, which could scarcely be seen behind his ever present sunglasses he even wore at school. _Yeah. Now I cannot misuse him for other potential roles :(

**sareyva:** Heh, but I think Zack might be still a little too perceptive for Yazoo´s liking... Yes, Sephiroth isn´t exactly a nice person *cough*, so let´s see what fate has in store for him :)

**SHM´s Lover:** I? I´m not thaaaat mean... ;) Or maybe this was directed at Sephy (in that case I can hardly object).

**Valitiel:** I cannot say how long Zack will stay there, I do not know yet (meaning I know where the story is going but I´m not sure about the exact timeline yet). Haha, Yazoo in a hotel boy uniform, carrying luggage around and looking pissed XD You´ll have to read for yourself if Kadaj gets the cat back;) But school will start eventually.

**whitelanc3r:** Hahaha, maybe XD But I suspect that he rather flirted with the whirlpool ;)

**Xyleel:** Naja, es ist auch ein bisschen Selbstzweck dabei gewesen... Aber lieb war das nicht, da stimme ich dir voll und ganz zu :)

**Have a nice weekend everybody!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks to purefoysgirl for betaing!!!**

**Enjoy a rather long chapter :)  
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13

Sephiroth placed the phone back onto his desk and put his fingertips together. He was not pleased, to say the least. It had cost him _hours_ to get through to someone who was responsible for his problem and when he eventually had someone on the line who claimed to be qualified enough, nothing had come of it at all. That was, nothing that Sephiroth could have tolerated. In the end, after a long and tiring discussion, he had been ordered to just bear with it until another solution was found.

Ordered.

_Him._

There were certain limits to what Sephiroth could take and being bossed around by a snot-nosed brat was definitely not on the list. Especially since it was simply incomprehensible to him how putting his former co-worker up in a nearby hotel was somehow an impossibility!

This was simply unacceptable.

But it only showed what poor condition the Bureau was in. They were merely a bunch of incapable imbeciles, and what they needed was a formidable and capable leader. Someone to tell them which way the wind was blowing…but with all of their democracy, humanity and freedom of the individual crap it was no wonder that everything was going down the tubes.

A quiet knock at the door made the general look up from the desk he had been killing with his withering glare, and he snarled "What?"

His scowl went neutral immediately, though, as the blond head of his personal assistant—Cloud Strife—appeared, and behind him was a man in a red cape.

"Inspector Valentine is here to pay you a visit, sir," Cloud said, saluting and waiting for Sephiroth's order. The man just waved a hand and Strife disappeared, telling Valentine that he may enter.

"Inspector Valentine."

"Yes, good day general. I am sorry to disturb you, but may I steal a moment of your precious time?"

"Of course," the silver haired man replied calmly, gesturing towards the empty chair in front of his impressive desk. "Have a seat, please."

Closing the door behind him, Vincent took the offered seat with a grateful nod, a notebook and a pen in his hand. "I am glad to see that I am not the only one who has to work on the weekends."

The general gave a wry smile, but—since he didn't feel much like dealing with the Inspector now—he cut the small talk short, saying, "We all have our crosses to bear. So, what brings you to my office? Do you need assistance with your inspection?"

"Actually, yes I do," Vincent admitted quietly, monotonously tapping with his biro against the paper.

"I see," Sephiroth smiled, already reaching out for his own notebook and flicking through it "I do not have many men to spare right now, but I assume that I can change a few schedules," he offered thoughtfully.

"I am afraid that this is not the reason why I came," the other interrupted politely, stilling his movements.

Letting the notebook sink down and arching an elegant eyebrow, the silver haired man inquired, "Really? What do you need my help for then?"

"Well, actually I wanted to ask some questions about your acquaintance with Mister Tseng. The man who was found dead in his flat."

Laying the notebook aside and putting his fingertips together again, Sephiroth calmly voiced his agreement.

"You see, I interrogated the teacher who found him again and she mentioned something. Nothing worrisome," the Inspector assured quietly, looking over his notes. "But I have to ask you about it. It is just the usual routine."

The general looked slightly unnerved nonetheless, but leaned back in his chair and instructed the other to continue with a short, sharp nod of his head.

"It says here that before his death there were some complications which concerned you and… your children." The raven haired man looked up again, giving the general a quizzical and scrutinizing look, but Sephiroth's face was devoid of any emotion. If he was surprised, he hid it perfectly.

"Well," the general eventually sighed, looking a bit resigned. "I guess I should have anticipated this." He stood from the chair and slowly walked to the huge window, hands folded behind his back, feeling Vincent's gaze follow him.

"It is true, I recently came to adopt three boys. Since I assumed that their privacy could not be guaranteed if it became public I decided to not make it official."

Vincent nodded his head in understanding, which the general saw reflected in the glass.

Shifting his gaze back to the sunny court where some recruits were exercising, he continued smoothly, "It seems that their math teacher, Mr. Tseng if I recall correctly, got a little over-protective and acted without any authorization. Of course, it ended with his suspension, which is why I assume he committed suicide."

"My apologies, but I have to correct you here, I am afraid," Vincent intoned calmly, scribbling in his note book "But the autopsy is not finished yet. We still do not know why he died." He looked up again, eyeing the general with fathomless eyes.

"This is why I would like to interrogate your offspring, as well."

The silver haired man's gaze darkened for a split second, but then he turned around towards his guest, saying nonchalantly, "I understand. But I also have to ask your sympathy here. You know, despite the incident, Mr. Tseng was a good teacher and my children were very fond of him. I have not informed them about his sudden death as I fear that it will pain them greatly. I therefore ask that you give me a little time to explain the situation to them. Surely you can grant me one or two days?"

Vincent looked thoughtful for a moment, his face mostly hidden by his high collar. Eventually he nodded, rising from his chair and putting away the note book. "I think that should be no problem. Please contact me within the next two days. Despite all consideration we might still have to deal with a possible crime here."

"Of course," the general smiled politely, shaking the other's hand and guiding him out of his office. Two days should be more than enough for the autopsy to reveal a 'natural' death and have the problem solve itself.

***

"That looks delicious," Zack praised, watching Sephiroth arch an eyebrow, reaching for his fork and motioning for the others to start eating as well. They had gathered in the dining hall, the general sitting at the head of the large table. Zack had been given the seat to his right, while Yazoo was residing to his left. Next to the teen sat Kadaj and Loz. Both stared down at their plates, not daring to speak nor breath. The atmosphere was so tense one could have cut it with blunt children's scissor.

"It tastes good," the spiky haired soldier said, trying to brighten the mood. He glanced down at the elaborately decorated food that looked more like a piece of art than something to eat, and asked, "What is it?"

"_Le sandre aux ratatouille et rosmarine pommes de terre_," Sephiroth deigned to answer, a small smile gracing his lips as he approvingly gestured towards his middle child. "It turns out that Yazoo has quite a clever hand where cooking is concerned."

"You made this?" Zack looked a little stunned, his fork resting midway to his mouth.

Yazoo only dipped his head a little politely, face neutral.

"You seem to have quite a lot of talents," the guest remarked, but the teen only shook his head slightly, humbly saying, "You are giving me too much credit."

"No, he is right," the general cut in with obvious approval, turning towards his friend. "Yazoo is indeed my ray of hope. I placed my expectations on him and he has never once disappointed me. Did I mention that he is on top of his class? And that he's even skipped two grades? This school does not do him justice."

He snorted in disgust at the thought of the staff at his son's current education establishment.

"No, you didn't mention that. But that's impressive," Zack replied, frowning slightly, but still smiling. Out of the corner of his eye he observed the stiff figures of the other two brothers pushing their food around on the plates.

"So, what about Kadaj and Loz then?" he asked, smiling at them and looking expectantly towards his host. "I bet they have their unique talents, too!"

A cold gaze slid over the two hunched figures as the general silently observed them. With a soft sneer he nonchalantly, but nonetheless cruelly, said, "Well, I guess some are gifted and others are not."

Zack's fork almost clattered to his plate but he caught himself soon enough. Clearing his throat, he quickly glanced at the two brothers and their tense expressions, almost certain that he heard a quiet sniff from Loz's direction.

"Yeah, but, come on Seph—surely they have their strong points as well?" he smiled inquiringly at Sephiroth, who put down his fork with a frosty expression and interlaced his fingers, mustering the other two again.

Eventually he opened his mouth again, observing clinically, "Well, I think our little one has quite a big mouth, although I cannot say that this is something I am exactly fond of. As for the other—aside from brute strength there isn't much in him." He inclined his head, smiling bittersweetly at the oldest. "Isn't that true… Lutz?"

Loz looked a little startled, until he noticed that he was meant. It was suddenly very quiet in the room.

"I will bring in the desert now," Yazoo informed into the silence, standing from his chair.

"I'll help!" Kadaj breathed through gritted teeth, his face alarmingly red and small tears gathering in the corner of his eyes. He violently put down his fork and forcefully pushed back his chair.

As soon as they were in the kitchen and out of earshot, Kadaj erupted into hysterical laughter and rolled on the floor. Literally.

"Oh my god, can't breath!" he panted. "H-he ca-called him LUTZ!" A new fit of giggles escaped as the boy held his aching stomach and wiped away some tears that rolled down his heated cheeks.

"I am glad that this amuses you so greatly," Yazoo stated coolly, putting the '_mousse au chocola aux la sauce á la vanille at fraise_´ on a tray. "When you are done I recommend that you do what you pretended to come here for. " With that, he thrust the tray into his brother's small hands, who took it without resistance, still snickering, "Sorry…"

"Hn," Yazoo only said, walking past his sibling and looking far less amused than his little brother.

This wasn't good. Sephiroth and his ignorance could cause serious questions. He would have to ask him to, for once, at least remember their names…

When they came back into the dining hall, Loz was sitting with his head hanging down and biting his lips, but still managing not to cry. Sephiroth was disinterestedly listening to Zack's reports from his journey, though he had put on a mildly curious façade.

It was the restless drumming of his finger against the armrest that alarmed Yazoo. Having lived so close to the general he was used to most of his quirks by now and this particular action meant that he was impatient and wanted the dinner to be over as soon as possible.

With Kadaj's help, whose face was still a little red, he handed out the desert with a warm smile, faintly brushing over his oldest brother's arm reassuringly.

After they were done with their desert, which was _pretty_ soon since the boys didn't want to spend any more time than necessary in the tension-laden room, Yazoo excused them.

After cleaning the table, and with a "Good night," they retreated.

*

Watching them leave, Sephiroth led his guest to the more comfortable and—for their talk—more suitable salon, where he poured himself a glass of whiskey and downed it right on the spot.

Really, if he hated anything, it was gatherings…

He threw a questioning glance towards Zack who declined the offer, and refilled his glass, taking it with him to his chair. Crossing his booted legs and whiskey in hand he immediately felt much more relaxed and ready to cope with Zack's stupidity.

The other didn't look like much fun, though. His usually sunny personality had been replaced by a rather serious frown.

After clearing his throat, he slowly walked around the sofa and finally said, " I respect you for adopting them and giving them a new home. That's amazing."

Sephiroth took a small sip from his glass, watching the restless man and giving him a calm, "Thank you."

"Yes, really. It's just…" his frown deepened as he searched for a good way to voice his concerns. "I mean it must be an alien situation for you and I am probably in no position to say this, but don't you think you're a little too strict with them?"

The general arched an eyebrow in question and also slight annoyance.

Sitting down on the armrest, Zack diplomatically explained, "You see, I think Yazoo may be really talented, I do not doubt that, but maybe you are expecting a little too much of him…"

"Really," Sephiroth remarked languidly.

"Hm," Zack nodded, getting up from his sitting position and with one hand in his pocket slowly paced the room, the other gesturing through the air. "I mean, he does nothing but learn and cooking three meals per day! Do you know what he wants to be when he's grown up? A forensic pathologist!" the soldier shook his head, ignoring the satisfied "I know" from the other.

"What fourteen year old wants to cut open corpses?! When I was that age, I wanted to get girls and have fun and be a millionaire!"

"And look what has become of you," the general retorted, somewhat sarcastically.

"I'm not saying that it's wrong to be ambitious, but there must be limits and as his father you have to see that it's really unhealthy. I also don't think that it's good that you show him so much favour so often. It clearly makes the other two feel inferior…"

"I would not have to be disappointed in them if they showed themselves to be more competent," Sephiroth stated matter-of-factly, his fingers slowly drumming on the armrest.

Zack shook his head again, his pacing growing more avid, "But they are _children_, there should be no need for them to be 'competent'! You are judging them by standards that are not suitable for them! I know that it's hard to be a single parent," the silver haired man lifted an eyebrow at this, indicating that he highly doubted that Zack knew _anything_ "Maybe, if you found a nice girlfriend, a person who could be a loving mother to them, it would lift some of the weight from your shoulders? This is a lot of responsibility for one person, maybe too much." The soldier looked at his superior questioningly and a little helplessly.

Sephiroth, on the other hand, looked very tense now, clearly not enjoying this conversation and within the next minute saying so, too, "I think this is enough now. Like you said—you certainly have no authority to lecture me about the way I deal with my children."

The other stopped walking around, opening his mouth to retort, but Sephiroth continued before he could say anything.

"And I do not appreciate your ungrounded accusations. And also, I would prefer it if you would cease to call me by that annoying nickname, it does nothing but undermine my authority. And I do not see that you have any right to use it. I am not your '_friend'_."

The general stood from his chair, slowly emptying his glass and looking straight at the hurt man with indifferent eyes. "If this is all, I will retire now. I've had a rather strenuous day."

With that he put his empty glass aside and walked out of the room before he could lose his temper, leaving the distraught soldier alone.

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**Sephy´s an asshole... Again. The french stuff they are eating isn´t anything THAT fancy at all, but everything sounds better in french XD I apologize if it´s spelled wrong, it´s been a while since I had french at school.  
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**Valitiel: **Mh... Never thought about that, but I think it could have been real. But maybe it was just plastic. I bet Zack eventually found Kadaj. Otherwise I´d have a problem :)

**sareyva:** At least I wouldn´t touch anything there without someone trying it first! :) A little eerie sometimes, yes, but I´wondering if he´s aware of this...

**Aiko Celeste:** I have to admit that I do not know much about Zack either... Apart from AC and CC trailer. I hope I get his character right, somehow. Yes, Kadaj is such a cutie! Now. We´ll see about later...

**oztan: **The questions you have were the exact same I wrote about for the next hapter, so I hope some of your questions will be answered! I like Loz a lot (even if it sometmes doesn´t really show from the way I write about him), and I hope his character development became apparent. I hope you like it, though!


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks to purefoysgirl for betaing this chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

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14

"Hey, you already asleep?" Zack carefully peeked inside the dark room that had just a second ago been lit, as the warm light shining beneath the door had indicated.

A pale nose poking out from under the sheets and a suspicious cat eye glancing at him made the soldier scratch his head, "Guess I should have knocked first, eh?"

Even though it didn't elicit the intended smile, Kadaj sat up in his bed and quietly said, "It's alright. You can come in, I think…"

"Thanks." Closing the door behind him, Zack walked towards the bed, where Kadaj had already switched on the nightstand lamp. The soldier grabbed a chair and put it a respectable distance from to the bed so as not to invade the child's private space.

"Dinner was quite strange, huh?" he asked softly, folding his hands between his slightly spread legs.

Kadaj nodded, a mischievous gleam twinkling in his eyes. "Yeah…"

"Is it always like this?" the black haired man asked stunned.

"Nah, normally we don't eat together," Kadaj made a dismissive gesture with his hand, but then looked a little stiff suddenly and quickly added, "Because the general has to work real late and most of the time we've already gone to bed when he comes home. He's really busy, you know."

"Yeah," the other sighed, looking a little desperate. "That's what bothers me most about the job… Whatever you do after you've grown up, don't go to the army, they're such slave drivers!" he made a funny, scandalized face that made the boy snicker a little.

"Don't worry, I won't go there," he assured, looking convinced.

"Oh, really? So what do you want to become then?" Zack asked, interested, leaning forward.

Kadaj looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged, "Dunno. A teacher maybe."

"Hm," the soldier nodded approvingly. "That sounds great."

"Ah well..." the boy glanced at his hands, a little embarrassed by the praise, but then looked up again with an eager smile. "You know what Yazzy wants to become?" Not feeling patient enough to wait for Zack's guesses, he announced proudly, "A frenzy pathos!"

Stifling the laugh welling up in his stomach, Zack looked at the boy with a straight face, only saying, "That's great, too."

The boy nodded eagerly, asking "Yeah, isn't it?"

He shuffled on the mattress, eliciting the dry sound of something rustling. Alarmed, Kadaj looked under the blanket and pulled out a paper, totally forgetting the other's presence.

Curiously Zack eyed the occupied boy, asking, "What do you have there?"

Startled, Kadaj held the paper away, looking unsure and licking his lips. "No-nothing… just…something I painted."

"Oh! Care to show me?" The soldier looked at him with earnest interest, making the boy frown and contemplate the possibility. He finally nodded hesitantly and pulled the picture out from behind him.

Zack sat next to him on the bed to get a better view, taking the paper into both hand and holding it into the light.

It depictured a bright, smiling sun and little blue clouds. The lower part was covered with green lines that Zack recognized as grass with an occasional flower here and there. The middle was occupied by two figures who looked fairly similar to each other, the only difference being that one was larger and had longer hair than the other. Both boys were smiling and they held hands, looking genuinely happy. A small ball with ears and black whiskers that vaguely resembled Bernhard was strolling around the boys' feet.

"That's you and your brother?"

"Yes. That's Yazoo," Kadaj pointed at the larger figure, "and the other is me. We're about to have a picnic."

"Sounds nice," the soldier smiled, still observing the childish picture. "You like your brother a lot, uh?"

"Yeah…" Kadaj smiled faintly too.

"Man, you must be lucky. I always wanted a big brother, too," Zack retorted, looking a little wistful.

"I am!" the boy stated matter-of-factly "He's just perfect!"

"Mh mh," the soldier said, brows furrowing, and softly saying, "A little too perfect sometimes, mh?"

Kadaj's eyes narrowed suspiciously at this, as he apparently couldn't share the others opinion. "I don't know what you mean by that. He's just fine like he is."

"Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean anything, don't listen," Zack laughed, ruffling the boy's fairly appeased head and looking back at the picture.

"So where's the rest of your family?"

Kadaj looked at him blankly for a moment as if he didn't comprehend the question, but then he shrugged, mumbling, "Dunno. At work or something. Loz's probably with Tifa."

"I see," the soldier said thoughtfully.

"I made it for Yazzy´s birthday," the boy hastily explained, taking the picture out of the other's hands and carefully rolling it up into a tube.

"Ah, I bet he'll be happy about it."

Kadaj nodded, wrapping a red ribbon around his picture and hiding it under the bed, explaining, "Actually I wanted to give it to him yesterday because it was his birthday, but then things intervened."

Zack looked a little surprised and then troubled, saying, "I'm sorry! Did I mess up your party or anything?"

Shaking his head, the boy hugged his knees, answering "Nah… There was just no opportunity to give it to him."

They remained silent for awhile until eventually Zack spoke again, voicing the reason why he had come to the boy's room in the first place.

"You know… about Sephiroth. I don't know what had gotten into him tonight but he wasn't always like this, actually."

Kadaj looked very uncomfortable as he quietly declared, "It's all right. I know that he's under a lot of stress and that he is not used to having children around him yet. I hold no grudge against him whatsoever."

A faint, sad smile graced the soldier's features as he benignly said, "You're a good boy, Kadaj. I'd be glad if I had a child like you. Honestly."

The boy just looked at his hands then faked a yawn and rubbed his eyes. Zack got the silent message and, ruffling the boy's hair one last time, he rose from the chair and put it back where he'd gotten it from..

"Well then I wish you a good night and sweet dreams. See you tomorrow."

He earned himself a shy smile and a mumbled, "Good night," and with a last wave closed the door behind him.

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**sareyva:** Hehe, yes, Sephy really needs someone to keep his ego in check sometimes;)Or maybe... most of the times... Anyway, Zack´s there now and as became apparent, things are slowly changing (at least for Kadaj). Let´s see if for the best or the worst... ;)

**Xyleel:** Hui, in der Tat: das waren ja einige Fragen :D Zu manchen weiß, ehrlich gesagt, nicht mal ich die Antwort (zumindest jetzt noch nicht. Obwohl sich die Story langsam zusammenfügt). Aber Reno wird auf jeden Fall noch vorkommen, ich habe einfach zuviel Freude mit den beiden (Yay für rumkeifen). Und das it dem happy end ist ja immer ansichtssache ;)

**Valitiel:** Heh, maybe Zack should write some guidebook! I just doubt that Sephiroth would read it let alone take it to heart... But, one never knows :)

**Oztan:** Loz will have a strong moment in the next chapter, I promise!

**YinYangWhiteTiger:** Later chapters will take a closer look on the relationship of Zack and Sephiroth, so I can´t spoil too much now ;) Yes, Loz had it hard in the last chapters... But let´s see if he won´t be a bit better after the next chapter!

**Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone, it really means a lot!**


	15. Chapter 15

**I hope everyone had some nice holidays and got lots of food and presents :) This comes a little belated, I´m sorry.**

**Thanks to purefoysgirl for betaing!**

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15

"So, what do you want to give me?"

They were in Loz's room, where Yazoo was sitting on a chair with his legs crossed and Loz was on the bed, looking lost.

Yazoo's calm voice seemed to startle Loz—he jumped a little and scratched his head in a nervous gesture. Looking a little shame-faced, he opened the upper drawer of the nightstand, fumbling with a little package that he awkwardly offered to Yazoo with a mumbled, "Happy birthday."

"Thank you," the teen said quietly, slowly unwrapping the wrinkled gift paper and eventually revealing a small, coloured wooden figure on a keychain.

"Th-that's a brain," Loz stammered, looking to the side and wringing his hands. "I made it myself and Tifa helped me paint it. We highlighted the different parts—I mean actually _she_ did, because I have no idea. You can put it on your key and learn the different parts whenever you want… I thought."

"Well, thank you. That's wonderful."

After another brief glance at the keychain, Yazoo put it in his pocket and folded the gift paper, laying it on the table next to the chair.

Loz just nodded, looking to the side and scratching his arm, clearly unhappy.

Sighing, the long-haired youth leaned his head against his knuckles, saying, "Do not let his words get to you too much."

"But… he's right, isn't he? I´m quite useless…" With his bulky form hunched on the bed, Loz looked rather fragile.

Narrowing his eyes, Yazoo objected, "_Now_ you are just being stupid Loz. That is not true and you know it."

"Do I?" came the uncertain and bitter reply. "I'm not as smart as you and I'm not as couragous or strong-willed as Kadaj…"

"You have a lot of other merits," the other said calmly, observing his melancholy brother.

Looking up with a frown, Loz remarked with obvious doubt, "Oh yeah? And what would that be?"

Yazoo remained silent for a while, almost making Loz throw his arms up in desperation and say, "See!"

But Yazoo only took out his present again and held it up, looking at it with intense scrutiny.

"See this? I would have never been able to do this. Your strong points may not lay in the intellectual sector but you have gifted hands. Neither of us, I or Kadaj, could have done this. This is your talent."

Loz sighed, rubbing his temple, not being quite convinced. "Yeah, maybe…But compared to you two it's just…" he struggled for the right word.

"Insignificant?" Yazoo tried to help, earning himself a tired nod. "Don't think that."

"But what am I to think, then? I mean there's nothing I like about myself, how can others like me, then?!"

Yazoo briefly wondered if these were the so-called mood changes that troubled youths upon entering puberty.

"There are a lot of good sides you have," he assured his brother from his chair, and after a thoughful minute he added with an unfathomable look, "You have a big heart Loz."

Looking up uncertainly, Loz just shrugged saying "Yeah, but you have, too. I mean you're taking care of us and all."

Yazoo shot him a strange look before his face went back to neutral, "I do not think one can compare these two things."

"But compared to you…" Loz spoke up again but was interrupted quite impatiently.

"Stop it, Loz. Don´t compare yourself to me. You are an individual who has his strong and his weak points just like everyone else."

"But you don´t have any… weak points I mean…" the other mumbled stubbornly under his breath earning himself an arched eyebrow.

"Anyway, this is not about me, but you," Yazoo said, directing the topic back to the matter at hand. "Tifa likes you, doesn't she?"

Loz blushed a deep shade of red which was hidden by the shadows in the dark room. They hadn't turned on the lights yet, appreciating the calm and safety that the dark provided. "I-I think so… I mean, she wouldn't meet with me otherwise, would she?"

"Exactly. She likes you and that means that there has to be something adorable about you, don't you think?" the other pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Yeah…" a faint smile crept over Loz's features and he didn't look that gloomy anymore.

"See."

"Do you think…I mean, shall I tell her that I love her?" Loz awkwardly pulled at his sleeve, looking embarrassed.

Yazoo was a little taken aback, carefully inquiring "Do you… love her?"

Rubbing his sweaty hands and gulping, Loz nodded uncertainly, saying, "I think so… I mean I get all nervous when I'm with her but I really like being with her and my heart pounds and there is this strange feeling in my stomach here," he pointed to his belly.. "That's love, isn't it?"

"I don't know," Yazoo said slowly, eyeing his brother's stomach. "But if you feel like it you probably should do it. After all she can do nothing worse than reject you."

Loz didn't look very assured by his brother's reasoning, but the other just rubbed his temple slowly, saying "Just do what you feel like. Don't rely so much on my opinion. You can do it yourself, alright?"

"Alright," the oldest brother agreed, a determined expression on his face.

"Very well, then. It is late, I will go back to my room now." The long haired youth rose from the chair and with a, "Good night," was about to leave when his brother spoke up again.

"Wait…"

Tilting his head in question, Yazoo stopped in the door frame.

"Thank you. I mean really, thank you."

"Hn."

Giving a short nod, Yazoo closed the door behind him and went back to his own quarters, face an expressionless mask again.

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** This wasn´t such a long chapter (the next will be longer again), but I felt that it was a bit intense and therefore should stand alone.**

**YinYangWhiteTiger: **I hope you have overcome your writer´s block, I suffered from it for the horrible time of two weeks and my head feeling so empty was the most frigthening and frustrating thing I ever experienced. And I´d also like to read a new chapter of course!

**purefoysgirl: **I want to give Kadaj a nice family, too... And I´m very tempted to do so. Thanks again for your help!

**sareyva:** I thought that Zack could be good with kids, he seems to have such a sunny, almost childish personality sometimes. Maybe he just managed to preserve his naiv curiosity. You´ll see more of Sephy´s and Zack´s past soon, I promise. And yes, Sephiroth wasn´t always a scumbag. He´s just a victim of unfortunate circumstances... But I don´t want to spoil to much now :)

**Valitiel:** Ah, I hate those puppy eyes looks :D They are always so irrestistable. I wish I could pull that off too, but I guess I´m just 20 years too late... *sigh* (Btw: I decided on a math teacher, and I´ll introduce him in chapter 17, I think.)

**whitelanc3r: **I´m glad that Zack´s there too... All the intrigues and tense athmosphere can´t be healthy for anyone. And they really deserve someone who genuinely cares for them.

**oztan:** For the moment I think Kadaj is very angry with Loz and, as the picture showed, has some problems to consider Loz as 'family' at the moment. We´ll have to see if that´ll change over the time, they are brothers after all. And from my experience sooner or later one gets along again. There may remain scars and the process of becoming friends again may be slow, but... We´ll see :)

**Review please?**


	16. Chapter 16

**Another chapter, and it´s longer again :)**

**Thanks to purefoysgirl for betaing!**

**Enjoy!**

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16

Vincent Valentine arched an eyebrow at the sight of the elaborate, castle-like mansion. It had been three days now since his consultation with the general and he'd still not heard from either the man or from his children.

Trying to call Sephiroth had turned out to be a lifetime task because the man was simply not available. Or, at least not for _Vincent_. So the Inspector had decided that if Sephiroth wouldn't come to him, _he_ would visit _them_.

Letting himself in through the unlocked, curved, metal gate, Valentine stepped into the sunny garden and followed the path, his feet crunching on the gravel as he made his way to the stairs.

He rang the door-bell and heard a pleasant tone echo through the house. A few moments later he heard soft footsteps approaching and then the heavy door was opened.

Into view came a beautiful teenager in a white silken robe, with long hair that was drawn into a pony tail and big, questioning eyes.

"Yes?"

Vincent suppressed the urge to raise an eyebrow at the boy's appearance and instead cleared his throat, casting a glance at his notebook as he answered, "Good day. I am Inspector Vincent Valentine. May I talk to your legal guardian?"

The boy tilted his head slightly to the side, and then explained, "I am afraid that is not possible right now. Sephiroth is at work. Maybe you would have more luck meeting him there?"

Displeasure flickered through the man's dark eyes, but it was gone in a heartbeat. He really had no nerve to drive through half the city again, so that Sephiroth's PA could tell him how _sorry_ he was, but that the general was unavailable right now. Trying to get a meeting with a yeti was more likely than getting a hold of the great Sephiroth right now.

Sensing the Inspector's distress, the teen leaned against the door, asking politely, "Maybe you would like to leave him a message?"

"No, thank you. Yazoo, correct?" Vincent glanced at his notebook and back at the youth, who nodded in surprise.

"If you don't mind, I would like to wait for him here," the raven-haired man decided, expectantly looking over the boy, though his gaze was not questioning, but pressing.

Yazoo seemed a little uncertain, nibbling at his rosy bottom lip, and observed the visitor with quick glances until he eventually asked, "May I see your ID please?"

"Of course." Vincent withdrew his badge from a pocket of his coat and held it towards the teen, who had a long look at it until he finally stepped to the side and apologized. "I am sorry Inspector, but I had to be sure."

"That is alright. You did well, asking me to identify myself," the man said approvingly, and stepped from the warm summer heat into the cool mansion.

Yazoo closed the door behind them and with a gesture of his hand invited Vincent into the hall. Then he walked before the inspector, leading him through the house towards the garden.

Vincent eyed the expensive interior with fathomless eyes and followed the boy, his feet sinking into the soft carpets. Maybe it wasn't that tragic that Sephiroth wasn't at home, if he thought about it. Vincent wanted to talk to his children, after all, and this seemed to be a rather fortunate opportunity. "Are your brothers at home?"

"No," Yazoo informed him, looking over his shoulder "Loz has a date and Kadaj is at the zoo with Mister Fair."

"I see." The older man stepped onto the white terrace, finding a large, crystal blue pool and several, comfortable deckchairs. One of them had been placed under a large sunshade. Some books were lying on the towel, waiting for their owner to return. Yazoo guided the visitor to a table with a fruit basket, several glasses and a water carafe and motioned for him to please sit down.

Vincent gave his thanks with a short nod and then peeled out of his too warm coat, placing it over a chair.

"That's a nice gun."

Surprised, the inspector followed the teen's gaze to his leg, where his gun was strapped and had been hidden by the cloth of his coat until just now.

"Does it bother you?" Vincent asked, willing to cover it again, if it made the boy nervous. He wanted to question him and it would be better if Yazoo felt at ease and trusted him.

"No, not at all," the youth assured, curiously eyeing the weapon, and then hesitantly asking,

"May I… have a look at it?"

He shot the inspector a questioning look.

Vincent seemed to contemplate the possibility for a moment, looking rather reluctant. But then he took it out and held it out to the youth, who bent over the pistol with interest. His gaze glided over the smooth metal and ornaments, one hand reaching out and a slender finger trailing along the barrel almost gently.

"Beautiful," he breathed, fascinated.

Vincent watched Yazoo admiring his gun, the silky fabric of the robe sliding off of his shoulder and revealing more porcelain skin.

"You are interested in weaponry?" the Inspector queried, his calm eyes resting on the youth's face again.

Yazoo shook his head slightly, his own eyes still glued to the gun, "Not really. Weapons are Sephiroth's passion."

His eyes wandered up to the handsome, raven-haired man and he added with a small smile, "But this one is really stunning. I have never seen something like that. It's big."

Again, he took in the three-barrelled weapon and the three dog heads at the end.

"Am I correct in assuming that these depict the mythological hellhound, Cerberus? Wasn't he the guard of the gates of Hades, keeping dead spirits from crossing the river Styx and escaping Hell?"

Vincent looked a little surprised, but then nodded, "Yes, you are right."

"Hn." A small smile crept over the boy's lips, but then he withdrew and let go of the gun, saying in an almost embarrassed manner, "I am sorry, I did not want to impose on you."

"It is alright," Vincent returned, putting the gun back. "I see you are rather knowledgeable about myths."

"Oh, not really," Yazoo shook his head, hand resting against the table as he looked a little distant again. "I just happened to read about it in school."

"I see," Vincent murmured, throwing a side glance at the books on the deckchair, but since it was too far away he couldn't read the titles.

"Can I offer you something to drink?" the boy suddenly asked, looking somewhat apologetic that he hadn't thought about it earlier.

"Yes, please." The inspector took a sip from the offered glass and decided that it was about time to ask his questions. He took out his notebook again, sat down in his chair and said calmly, "The reason for my visit concerns you, and your brothers, too."

Yazoo tilted his head in question and looked at the man with big, innocent eyes.

"If you don't mind I'd like to ask you a few questions," Vincent continued, observing the teen put the carafe down and settle in his chair. The robe slid aside and exposed long, smooth legs, but Yazoo didn't seem to notice, because his attention was still focused on the Inspector.

"Of course. Ask me whatever you want," he answered, taking a sip from his own glass and giving the man a friendly smile.

"Well then, I'd first like to ask you about your math teacher, Mister Tseng," the Inspector said, looking at his notebook in concentration, but observing the boy from out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh," Yazoo said, looking a little uncomfortable.

"I heard that there were some problems concerning you and your brothers," Vincent added, expectantly looking up and smiling a little. "Do not worry, please. Everything you say will be treated as confidential, of course."

The silver-haired teen nodded a little, looking unsure still, but then he licked his lips and said quietly, "Yes, there were some problems. He—Mr. Tseng, I mean, was Loz's and my math teacher and he was very committed. A little too committed maybe…" Yazoo paused, looking as if he was searching for his next words, and Vincent scribbled into his note book, nodding reassuringly.

"You see," Yazoo continued, eyes downcast "We have not lived together as a family for very long yet, with the general, that is. Of course it wasn't easy, but we managed. Now, Mr Tseng thought that we had problems, even though we hadn't. I tried to tell him that his concerns weren't founded and that he didn't need to worry, but he wouldn't listen and took us against our will into the school's dorms. Eventually the misunderstanding was cleared and he was suspended."

The youth bit his lip, watching his slender hands folded in his lap. He lifted his gaze up to the Inspector and asked with slight worry in his soft voice, "He isn't in worse trouble for that, is he?"

Vincent stopped writing, the Biro pen resting against the paper and contemplated for a moment if he should tell the truth. Obviously Sephiroth still hadn't deigned to inform his children about the circumstances, much to the Inspector's distress. And since the whole incident wasn't such a big case at all, the media had lost interest and stopped broadcasting any news on it. Looking steadily at the teen in front of him, Vincent cleared his throat and said softly, "No. I am sorry to have to inform you of bad news, but Mr. Tseng just recently passed away."

"Passed away?" the boy echoed, face blank until the words sank in and he visibly paled.

Wide-eyed he stared at the Inspector, one trembling hand moving to his open mouth to cover it.

"I am sorry," Vincent repeated, standing and coming around to crouch beside Yazoo and look up at his shocked face. He put a hand on the boy's slim shoulder in sympathy, asking, "Are you alright?"

He felt the teen leaning into his touch a little, and then Yazoo slowly shook his head as if to clear it, a pink tongue sliding over rosy lips again before he whispered, "Yes, I'm… I just… " He stopped, furrowing his brows, and then his emerald eyes slid over to the Inspector. "It just came so sudden… Why? _How_?"

Seeing that Yazoo had recovered somewhat, Vincent rose to his feet, gently squeezing the bare shoulder again and settling back in his chair, feeling his gaze following him.

"We do not know yet. That is why I need your help. I need you to tell me what exactly it was that led Mister Tseng to taking you three away from home."

Yazoo closed his mouth, shifting back in his chair and looking to the side, before explaining "Well, Mr Tseng suspected our father of…abusing us."

At that Vincent looked up from his note book again, clarifying, "Abusing you?"

"Yes," Yazoo affirmed quietly, adding in a somewhat tired voice, "It was ridiculous of course, Sephiroth would never do something like that. It was just a misunderstanding."

"I see," the Inspector murmured, making notes and then focusing his intent gaze on the other again, as he asked softly, "Do you know if he had enemies, or people that meant him harm?"

"Of course not!" the teen instantly shook his head, almost indignant in his refusal. "He might have been a little overprotective but he was a good teacher and rather popular. He was the liaison teacher."

"Mh mh," Vincent said, concentrating.

"Well…" Yazoo said, looking thoughtful suddenly. "The principal seemed relatively angry, though. But she would never-" he stopped, eyes widening. "You don't think someone could have… killed him?"

"We do not know yet," the raven-haired man said carefully, taking a sip from his water glass. "And as long as we do not know, we have to at least consider the possibility."

"I…I understand," the boy stammered, rubbing his temple.

"So you have no idea who might have wanted to harm your teacher?" Vincent inquired again, observing as Yazoo briefly closed his eyes and then shook his head, saying "No, I'm sorry. I do not know anything about his private life and from school no one comes to mind."

"That's alright," the Inspector assured, flipping a page and asking his next question, "Do you remember the last time you saw him?"

"Yes," Yazoo said, after having pondered the question for a moment. "That was the day father fetched us from the dorms. That must be about two weeks ago."

"Thank you. Do you remember in what state he was then?"

"Well… I guess he wasn't very happy. Actually he was rather down… Oh my god. He couldn't have…" Aghast, the teen looked at the raven haired man, and hand flying to his mouth again.

"He- maybe he couldn't bear loosing his job and-and h-he despaired an-and he lay hands upon hi-himself a-and… My god, we killed him!!!" His voice had become harsh and agitated, his slender shoulders shaking.

Instantly Vincent was by his side again, trying to calm him down. "It's not your fault." He drew the trembling, upset figure into his arms, the boy resting his head on the man's shoulder and a strangled sob escaping his throat. "As I said before; we do not know how Tseng died, but suicide is almost out of question. You did not drive him to kill himself, do not worry."

A few more sobs were heard until the youth eventually calmed down, feeling long fingers soothingly stroking over the silken fabric of his robe and the velvety skin of his neck.

Vincent let go of Yazoo when he thought he had somewhat restored his equilibrium, saying "There is just one more question I would like to ask you. Do you think you can do that?"

Nibbling at his bottom lip and gracing the Inspector with his best I'm-so-frail-protect-me-look, Yazoo hesitantly nodded.

"Very well then. Can you tell me where you were at the day after your father gathered you from the dorms, approximately between the time of 14.30 and 17.00 ?"

The teen had a look of confusion plastered to his face, so Vincent added with a reassuring smile, "It's just for the record."

Yazoo nodded again, looking thoughtful as he said, "That day… I was shopping. A cell-phone for Loz, you know, so that he can call his girlfriend and doesn't have to use the housephone." He smiled shyly and the Inspector mirrored it, rising to his feet and reaching for his notebook.

"Well then I thank you for your cooperation. You helped me quite a lot. Here is my card, though, just in case you remember something else. You can call me anytime. And I am sorry for having to inform you about such tragic occurrences."

"It's not your fault," Yazoo said quietly, taking the card and standing as well to guide Vincent through the garden to the front gate.

Before he could give his fare-well, though, Yazoo reached for his arm, holding him and, averting his eyes, whispered "May I… ask a favor of you?"

With a quizzical expression, Vincent leaned over to better hear the breathed question, saying amiably, "Of course."

"Can you…maybe spare my brothers? I know you must investigate and by no means do I want to hinder this, but… I know they wouldn't take it too well now, so if maybe I can explain it to them first?"

Vincent smiled at the youth, placing a hand on the fingers clinging to his shirt and assuring with his deep, calm voice "Please, do not worry. I don't think I need to question them at all. If I have something to ask, though, I will call beforehand."

"Thank you." Yazoo flashed the man a beautiful smile, letting go of his arm.

"Not at all. It was a pleasure to meet you Yazoo." With that he turned and stepped through the metal gate.

The boy waved behind him, watching as the Inspector got into his car and drove away with a last wave.

A satisfied smile gracing his fair features, Yazoo rearranged his robe into a less revealing position and went back to the house.

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**Damage control á la Yazoo ;)**

**YinYangWhiteTiger: **Yes, I have to admit that the last chapter was quite a bit odd :) I must say that I didn´t read 'Twilight'. The author being a Mormon deterred me somewhat. Besides, from what I heard it´s some kind of pubescent girly falling madly in love with your average mysterious, deliquent vampire and... Ah no, I´ll stick with Anne Rice XD Have you read her vampire chronicles? So, what are you writing about in your book? I was briefly considering studying Italien in university, but then decided for Japanese... Ciao (and thanks for reviewing)!

**Valitiel:** Heh, yes I thought Yazoo deserved a break from being an ass (more or less) XD Zack´s actually having a job, he´s on 'vacation' now. One more chapter and we´ll meet the new math teacher, yay!

**oztan:** Mh, I think Loz´s actually was looking for Yazoo´s approval. Maybe he was looking for someone´s approval and Yazoo just happened to be there. Loz´s having some issues, which is quite understandable, I think. First, he´s been made a fool of by Sephiroth and second he´s in puberty right now, so his self-esteem is a bit shaken. He´s just a bit melancholy, I think.

**sareyva:** I was having fun writing the last chapter, because Yazoo for once is behaving like a brother should behave. I also had fun writing Loz and his issues, I have to admit. He´s grown up so much since I started this story *sigh* I will leave the meaning of the sentence you pointed out to your imagination, everything will reveal itself later ;) I´m glad you liked!

**Xyleel:** Hehe, jaaa, er kann auch anders wenn er will. Praktisch handzahm im Vergleich zu vorher ;) Ich will auch so´n Hirn! Sowas sollte für alle Psycho-Studenten gratis ausgegeben werden, damit man endlich mal ne Chance hat sich zu merken wo der verdammte Cyrus Cinguli in der ganzen Masse rumturnt. o.O Vielleicht hab ich ja ne Marktlücke entdeckt... Und abgesehen davon ist so´n Ding natürlich übelst stylisch XD

**Review please?**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey there! New chapter and all, hopefully you´ll like it better than the last one (from the relatively little response I got for it I assume it wasn´t that good. Or maybe it was just boring? *sigh*).**

**So, enjoy!  
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**And thanks to purefoysgirl for betaing this chapter!**

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17

A soft knock against heavy wood echoed through the dimly lit room. Looking up from his files, Sephiroth bid the visitor in. The next moment, Yazoo entered with a book under his arm, closing the door behind him and walking to the desk.

The general leaned back, waiting until his child reached the chair and then drawing him onto his lap, asking, "Did you do your homework?"

Yazoo placed his book on the desk, leaning his head against the older man's shoulder and letting his head be stroked. "Yes."

"And?" Raising an eyebrow, Sephiroth expectantly gazed at his son.

"Men are but gregarious animals. They are in dire need of a leader because otherwise they are just overwhelmed with taking responsibility for themselves. Freedom and the right to choose only burdens and confuses them, because they lack the intellectual capability of making proper decisions. In order to prevent them from precipitating into ruin they have to follow strict rules and they cannot have participation in decision-making. Since they are simple-minded, they will be satisfied by relatively simple means and are easily corrupted.

Their _raison d'etre_ is to follow their leader and execute his will. They do not need a concept of their own being and they do not deserve rights, for it will only result in chaos. Every single one of the herd's members is exchangeable, save for the leader. The _führer_ is a being not comparable to the base masses, for he is of a superior intelligence. However, men are—despite their simple nature—nasty, brutish and of poor character. Without a leader to guide them, a state of war of every man against every man will errupt. Only the leviathan can save them from their self-destruction and he must always keep their vicious nature in mind.

Should a member of the herd therefore mistakenly try to oppose the leader it must be eradicated without mercy, so it will not infect the rest of the group with its wrongs. In order to survive or make sure his orders are followed, the leviathan can make use of any means and he does not have to justify them, because beside the fact that he is the highest being in the hierarchy and holds the absolute power, he does not because he is the leader and his underlings do not hold any significance anyway," Yazoo monotonously recited what he had learned from Sephiroth's teachings.

"Well done, kitten," the general said, a small smile gracing his lips. He approvingly stroked his pet's neck, asking with mild interest "So, how was your day?"

"Well, Mister Valentine paid us a visit this afternoon."

The hand paused for a moment, but then Sephiroth asked calmly,"And, what did he want?"

The silver-haired teen let his languid gaze idly wander over the desk, explaining, "He wanted to talk to Kadaj, Loz and me, about Tseng. I didn't tell him much, but he seemed satisfied with it. I fended him off, I think. He also agreed to not talk to Loz or Kadaj without consulting you first."

"I see," the general said thoughtfully, eyes narrowed. "Still, I do not approve of him sniffing around my territory…Especially not when I explicitly prohibited such things."

"Hn. He didn't seem like your orders would impress him very much," Yazoo stated somewhat dryly, making the other look even more sour.

"Maybe you should keep an eye on him," he then suggested soothingly, looking up into the general's handsome face, adding, "Although I do not believe that it will be necessary…"

His fingers absently wandering over the boy's scalp, Sephiroth darkly stared at the desktop, shaking his head. "Do not be mistaken. He is by no means as naive and easily satisfied as he pretends to be. Vincent Valentine is a dangerous man."

Arching an eyebrow and leaning into the touch, Yazoo almost purred, "Ah? But there's nothing we have to be anxious about, is there? Your plan is flawless."

A small, pleased smile crept over the general's lips. "Of course it is. Still, I believe it will not be to my disadvantage to watch him."

"Hn." Yazoo gave a distracted nod, letting his father stroke his neck.

Sephiroth watched his son out of the corner of his eye and after a moment of silence finally asked, "So, what else is it you want to talk to me about? Surely you won't go through the lengths of flattering me for nothing…"

He shot the youth a knowing, slightly amused look, that was returned by a sigh.

Yazoo sat up, searching for the right words, and then nonchalantly admitted, "Well, actually, I wanted to bring this up earlier, but there was just no opportunity."

"Go ahead," the general permitted generously, rearranging some files on his desk.

"It's about Kadaj and Loz."

Sephiroth's expression almost instantly became exasperated, but still he motioned for Yazoo to continue with a flick of his hand, albeit rather unwillingly.

"I just wanted to suggest that it would be helpful if you could bother to learn their names."

The general arched an eyebrow at the sarcastic undertone, stating coolly, "Would it?"

"Well," Yazoo trailed a finger along his father's chest in a pacifying manner "I know it is bothersome, but as long as your friend stays here, it would be in your best interest to leave a good impression, I think."

"He is not my friend," Sephiroth snapped, then pinched the bridge of his nose and said in a calmer tone, "I will give it consideration."

The boy offered him a small smile that went unanswered, but at least the tense atmosphere was gone.

"Is there something else?" the man asked with a sideways glance at the youth in his lap, fingers idly moving again while he looked through some papers.

With a withdrawn expression Yazoo watched his foster father, tilting his head and then slowly saying, "I was wondering about something…"

"Oh?" The general's expression didn't give away if he was interested or was just pretending to be polite.

"Yes," the boy said quietly, following Sephiroth's movement with his stoic, almost bored gaze. "What is love?"

Sephiroth stopped with what he was doing, arching an eyebrow in question.

"I know very well what it means in biological, chemical and psychological terms," Yazoo explained, gaze fixed on the general's face. "It is the personal note that keeps me wondering."

"I see." The older man let go of his files, leaning back and facing his child, a small smile gracing his pale lips. "Then let me enlighten you."

After he had made sure that he had his pet's attention he let the cat out of the bag, declaring with the smile still lingering on his face, "Love is a wonderful thing."

Yazoo tilted his head in question, looking a little taken aback.

"And do you know why?" The general leaned forward, his lips brushing over the youth's earlobe, purring as Yazoo shook his head. "Because it makes people weak. Devoted. _Malleable_."

The boy's eyes widened in understanding as he joined in his foster father's thin smile and bent his neck a little to grant him better access. Just as a hand crept over his leg, their little rendezvous was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Sephiroth growled in exasperation, seething that the first occasion of being alone with his pet and getting some relaxation was interrupted _again._

"Sephiroth? May I come in? There is something I want to ask about tomorrow…" Zack called through the door.

With a sidelong glance at his father, Yazoo slipped from his lap and reached for his book, the general leaning back morosely and letting go of him.

"Gather your spawn. I have to declare something," he ordered, before the boy could exit the room. Yazoo just nodded, gracing the entering soldier with a fake smile and going off to search for his brothers.

He found Loz in his room, looking very happy and flushed, which made Yazoo assume that his date and his confession with Tifa had gone well.

While the oldest waited in front of the general's home office, typing on his cell phone and being too happy and busy to worry about the reason why Sephiroth had summoned them, Yazoo went to Kadaj's room, where he was introduced to a giant plush snake that went by the name of 'Fritz'.

Listening to the youngest child's excited reports on his day in the zoo with Zack, they made their way back, patiently waiting for Zack to finish his business with their father.

After a short amount of time the door opened again, the soldier emerging from the room with a neutral expression. Since their argument they were not exactly on good terms, although they weren't hostile either. Their conversations were curt and somewhat frosty, but neither of the men saw that they should yield from their position.

They gave their good night wishes and then the boys entered, Loz putting his phone away and looking a little uncomfortable now. Kadaj had become very quiet.

They came to stand before their father's desk, eyes humbly guided to the ground.

Sephiroth had crossed his legs, leaning back in his high chair and fingertips put together as he looked at his children.

He didn't bother much with small talk or introductions, instead informing them rather bluntly and in a bored, abrupt tone, "Your former math teacher, Mr. Tseng is dead."

Two heads shot up, staring at the general in shock.

Yazoo threw a sidelong glance at his petrified brothers, and then bowed before Sephiroth, murmuring, "Thank you for letting us know."

The silver-haired man just nodded indifferently and released them with a flick of his hand.

Taking his brothers by the arms, Yazoo guided them out of the study and to his room.

Loz had started to blubber dry, strangled sobs—still trying to wrap his mind around the concept—while Kadaj shed silent tears.

Sitting down on the bed with one of his siblings on either side, Yazoo drew them into a hug and they sat there for awhile, clinging to each other and grieving over Tseng's death.

Or, at least, _two_ of them did.

*

"Why do vacations always have to be so short?" Loz groaned unhappily, shuffling behind his brother through the crowded floors of their school.

"I thought you couldn't wait to see Tifa?" Yazoo returned sardonically, looking at their schedule and searching for their new classroom.

"Sure, but it doesn't have to be _here_," the older mumbled, opening the glass door and slipping into the room.

His eyes instantly searched the pupils for his girlfriend, finding her in a group of laughing teens. As soon as Tifa spotted him, she waved at the bulky young man, motioning to a seat she had reserved for him, right next to her own.

Yazoo gave a short nod, releasing Loz, who gave him a thankful look and strolled over to shyly take Tifa's hand in his own. While his older brother was occupied with the girl, the younger calmly scanned the room for a free seat.

Unfortunately, the only unoccupied desk appeared to be uncomfortably close to a certain redhead's. Not letting his distress be shown, Yazoo walked over to the desk with a neutral expression, put his bag on it and slipped into his seat, wondering if maybe there was a chance that Reno would do him the favor of just ignoring his presence. He was more than willing to overlook his annoying fellow student, but apparently Reno wasn't.

As soon as he noticed the silver-haired teen sitting beside him taking out a book and beginning to read, Reno cut his conversation with Rude short to lean over and invade Yazoo's private space.

"Now look who's here, yo!" he exclaimed in mock excitement. When he got no response, Reno propped his head in his hands, drawling, "Ya missed me?"

"Certainly not," Yazoo answered dryly, without looking up from his book.

"Awww, man, that's cold," the redhead declared, seemingly unfazed by the cold shoulder he was receiving. Leaning back in his seat and lifting an eyebrow he asked "So, what's become of your homework?"

Before Yazoo could answer, though, the door opened again and a man entered.

The groups dissolved, everyone hurrying to their seats as the new teacher walked up to his desk.

He was about in his late twenties, early thirties and wore a blue suit. His hair matched the colour of his brown, neatly trimmed beard. His dark, keen, friendly eyes looked at the rows of students that stared back at him with unhidden curiosity.

Placing his bag on the desk, the man cleared his throat, saying in a clear, soft voice, "Good morning altogether. My name is Reeve Tuesti, I am your new math and politics teacher. I am pleased to meet you and hope we will be on good terms with each other."

He paused for a moment, letting his gaze wander over his new pupils before speaking up again, "Usually I would suggest that you now introduce yourselves so I get to know you, but unfortunately this will have to wait until the next lesson."

A murmur went through the rows that died down when Reeve held up his hands, begging for their attention. "As it is we actually have the very rare opportunity to visit a certain facility, and since it was a last minute commitment, there was no time to inform you beforehand. The bus is already waiting outside, so I will just take roll and then we will go down. On our way we will have enough time to get to know each other, though."

He smiled at the excited whispers and after he had affirmed that everyone enrolled was indeed in the classroom, the group went down to the bus, wondering where the trip would be to.

* * *

**Oooooookay, first I have to make absolutely clear that the opinions expressed here (namely the ones I gave Seph and Yazoo) are not mine! (I know this probably isn´t necessary, but we germans have this phobia with being understood in the wrong way...^^). Also, I want to apologize to Hobbes and Machiavelli, for stealing their thoughts and cooking up this perversion. I bet they are turning in their graves right now *sigh***

**But finally we met the new math teacher! And it´s Reeve! I bet you didn´t expect this, did you? XD He´s the perfect math teacher, I think. Calm and patient and erudite... Heh.**

**YinYangWhiteTiger:** Heh, we already agreed that 'Twilight' is rubbish, so there´s nothing much to say;) I hope your project is still going well!

**Valitiel:** Mh, Vincent is indeed a clever person, so we´ll have to see if he bought Yazoo´s act or not ;). I hope you like the new math teacher, it sure took me a while to reveal him, uh? Sry :)

**sareyva: **The reason why Yazoo handled the Inspector better than Sephy did is probably because he had to :D Sephiroth is just waiting that the problem solves itself, which may not be as soon as he has anticipated. So Yazoo has to suffer the consequences. But as you said: he´s a good actor and it probably didn´t bother him that much.

**Next chapter we´ll finally be done with all the talking (there was a lot of talking in the last chapters, uh? Sry...). There´ll be a lot of Reno and Yazoo action, too!**

**So, review please?  
**


	18. Chapter 18

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**Thank you purefoysgirl for the betaing!!!**

**Enjoy!  
**

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18

"The military facility?" Loz frowned, holding his girlfriend's hand as they stood before the gates, the rest of the group piling out around them. All of them stared at the compound with mingled excitement and surprise, talking in whispers.

Yazoo just lifted an eyebrow, finally packing away his book that had provided him with both relative protection from Reno's verbal attacks and entertainment on the boring trip.

"Okay everyone," Reeve said, walking up in front of the group. He clapped his hands to get their attention and briefly looking over the crowd to make sure that everyone was there.

"Please pair up and form a line now! You'll stay together with your partner during our visit here."

A murmur went through the crowd of young people and the next moment everyone was searching for their best friends to pair up like they had been told. Yazoo was still blankly staring at the soldiers guarding the gate, absent-mindedly taking it for granted that Loz was standing beside him already.

Much to his consternation, when he finally averted his eyes from the facility's entrance expecting to see his brother's familiar, bulky form he was instead greeted with infuriating red hair and a toothy grin.

"Yo."

Moving his head abruptly away from the gleeful youth, Yazoo stared down the line in front of him to find his sibling standing a few rows before him, shyly holding hands with his stupid girlfriend and being all lovey-dovey. Suddenly, though, the older boy shifted uncomfortably, as he felt a piercing, arctic gaze bore a hole into his skull. Only once he slowly turned his head to see Yazoo glaring at him did it seem to dawn on Loz that he had forgotten something crucial—namely, his brother—but since the line was already moving he could only throw him an apologetic, flustered look.

Miffed, Yazoo let his gaze drift back to nowhere in particular, following his classmates as the last pair with Reno. And here he'd actually thought that the new school year would be a bit quieter…

"Ah, isn't this just _marvellous_, yo?" the redhead drawled, hands interlaced behind the back of his head, elbows sticking out as he stretched into the warm, sunny day. Out of the corner of his eye he observed the unenthusiastic silver haired youth walking quietly beside him, professionally ignoring him. Yazoo had no idea what would be so marvellous about walking in the company of a mentally-challenged bully who just couldn't keep his trap shut. So much for quiet.

"A school trip's always the best to deepen friendships and get to know each other," Reno continued unfazed, his voice dreamy. He gave a hearty sigh just as if he was overflowing with friendly feelings for Yazoo.

The silver haired youth kept his gaze steadily glued to the teen in front of him, ignoring the fake-eager and cocky behaviour of his partner.

"So, wanna tell me 'bout your vacation?" Big blue eyes blinked at him with innocent interest that could have almost been convincing if it hadn't been for the wry smile playing around the youth's mouth.

Yazoo merely shot him a cold look, before he went back to observing Rude's broad back.

"Ahhhh, you're no fun," Reno pouted, throwing a dark side glance to the other half of their 'pair'. Then his features brightened a bit, turning almost mischievous, as he declared sarcastically, "But I just forgot that you're not a guy for meaningless small talk."

He let his arms drop, putting them casually in his pocket. Watching their surroundings with idle attention, he continued in a vague, interested tone, "Did you know that there's this theory?"

Reno didn't wait for Yazoo to answer since it was highly unlikely that he would have anyway. Looking after a military car driving past them and towards the gate, he just spoke up again.

"It says that the military and its soldiers're a bunch of conservative and pessimistic party-pooper. Naturally."

The silver haired youth at least lifted an eyebrow at that.

"Yeah." Reno spit to the side, fumbling for his cigarettes. "They just live to protect the state and keep it like it is, since that's well, kind of their job. No room for changes there," the redhead explained, holding a lighter to the end of his cigarette and inhaling deeply, ignoring the displeased expression of his partner.

"And they are pessimistic 'cause, naturally, they believe that everyone's the devil and just wait for the opportunity to chew them up. Mankind's evil, man is a wolf to man and all that shit…So we better not expect anything apart from grumpy old men with sticks up to their gullets, yo." He exhaled with his head slightly thrown back while the group came to a halt before a large building.

The new math teacher stood in front of the crowd again, shaking hands with a person Yazoo couldn't really see, but didn't care for either. All of his thoughts were focused on wishing for the—admittedly, highly unlikely, but still not _entirely_ impossible—event of a stray bullet colliding with Reno's brain so he would finally shut up.

The next moment, though, the man Reeve had talked to walked up the stairs so that everyone could see him. With a huge, friendly, and excited smile he announced in a loud, but not unpleasant voice, "Hello everyone! Welcome to the military facility Wolfenstein! I am very pleased to be your guide for your tour here. My name is Lieutenant Zack Fair; I am pleased to meet you all."

The tall man grinned at the amazed group, standing straight with his hands clasped behind his back. A military hat was sitting atop of his spiky, raven hair and he was clad in a uniform that had quite a considerable amount of medals pinned to it. His dark eyes were scanning the crowd and stopped briefly when he sighted Yazoo and Loz, but otherwise there was no sign that they already knew each other whatsoever.

"Forgive my impertinence, but to me it seems that you, respectively, Mister Huntington, should probably rethink your 'theory'," Yazoo stated dryly, as he was almost blinded by Zack's 'conservative' and 'pessimistic' presence.

"Shut. Up," the redhead retorted, inconspicuously throwing his half-smoked cigarette to the ground and smashing it under his foot. "Never heard of 'the exception proves the rule', yo?"

He ignored the infuriating smirk of Mister-Know-It-All and instead focused his attention on Zack who was just about to explain to them how their visit would proceed and what rules they should keep in mind. After the first 15 seconds Reno was already dead bored and instead settled with having a closer look at the surroundings.

The facility seemed to be gigantic, and they had only made it to the entrance hall. Behind them was the avenue that led to the open metal gates. Right now they were open, as was the barrier. Four soldiers in fancy uniforms were guarding the entrance, standing stock-still with their weapons in hand. Reno had no doubt that they could become pretty agile if needs be. He'd rather not see that, though. Although it could become rather amusing, trying to get a rise out of those guys…

Before that particular thought could develop into more concrete plans, he shifted his eyes, a sly gleam in them. His gaze wandered over the grey, dull buildings that were flanking the wide street and merged with the entrance hall. Wide stairs were leading to the high house that was hovering over them almost sternly and fully serving its purpose of making the visitors feel small and insignificant.

Unimpressed, Reno's eyes glided over the large, round courtyard before the hall that was now vacant aside from their little group and the big socket of a statue that the redhead hadn't deigned to inspect yet. Seeing that Lieutenant Fair was still babbling on about how they must stay together and not go off on their own because it was dangerous (surprise, surprise) and not feeling like getting on Yazoo's nerves either, he threw his head back to look at the statue.

Hammered in cold stone was a man in a uniform. His calm, cool gaze was directed towards the city, the corners of his full lips slightly curled up, although he was not actually smiling. A straight nose completed the picture of strict, aloof beauty the man's face was graced with. Long, stony tresses were cascading down his straight back. His lean, uniform-clad figure seemed as if it could withstand everything and everyone as it proudly reached into the blue sky. General Sephiroth certainly was an impressive man, even moreso when he was 7 meters high.

Spiting to the side again and sliding his eyes from the statue, Reno restlessly shifted his weight to the other foot, hands still in his pockets and waiting for the guide to finish his seemingly endless speech. Beside him he noticed Yazoo briefly take in the statue with expressionless eyes before he focused his attention back on Zack, who was finally done.

Sighing, the redhead popped a piece of gum into his mouth—he was fairly certain that smoking inside the building was not an option—and followed Mister Fair and the rest of the group into the building.

* * *

**I want Zack as my tour-guide through the confusing institution that is the military, too (may I´d get at least half of the stuff my prof is preaching about then *sigh*)! Ahhh, and I´m glad to have Reno back, he´s such a smart guy :D And it´s fun having him pester 'poor' Yazzy... }:)  
**

**YinYangWhiteTiger: **Reno will definitely get a big part. He´s important to the plot :) But I don´t know if there will be a reason to pity Yazoo... It´s all a matter of perspective;) ... Ouran? I don´t know if I know that... Do you mean that anime, where this girl disguises a guy? Is it any good? Haven´t seen it yet...

**Valitiel: **Yay, there will be some high school teen drama XD Though many of the teens behave a lot like adults, even though it doesn´t become apparent at first sight. I hope you like Reeve as the new teacher? Maybe he doesn´t get much attention because he´s no major character in the games... I don´t know that much about him either, but I still hope I´ll do his character justice :)

**sareyva: **Haha, yes. No offense to anyone who believes in this... ideology (I´m pretty certain these people exist and they are no small number...) but it really is quite... laughable. Certain aspects might not be that unrealistic, but in the end it´s all a matter of socialisation anyway. You earn what you breed. Hehe, of course Sephiroth knows Yazoo (mostly), he teaches him how to be like this. And they _are_ on the same wavelength (or at least I like to think so)^^

**oztan: **You think so? Hm... To tell the truth I haven´t really thought about that possibilty yet... But that´s an interesting thought ^^ Maybe I can make something out of that :) Thanks for the suggestion!

**Xyleel:** Waaaah, das 100. review!!! XD *Blumenstrauß überreich* Jaja, wie du schonmal bemerktest: Sephy zieht sich nen Mini-me ran... Und ich würde mal sagen der Gute hat einen ganz schönen Knacks :D Böse Zungen würden es vielleicht auch mit 'Größenwahn' betitulieren... Erfolg tut eben nicht immer gut. Mal sehen ob sich Yazoo gehirnwaschen lässt, momentan hat er davon ja nur Vorteile ^^

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and read my story, it means a lot to me! (And we already made it to 100 reviews! *feels a tiny little bit proud*) :)**

**See you next weekend (I don´t know how it´ll be going after that, I have a lot of tests coming so I might not make it in time *sigh*)!**

**Review please?  
**


	19. Chapter 19

** Special thanks to my awesome beta purefoysgirl for helping with this chapter too!!!**

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19

"Are there any questions?" Zack looked encouragingly at the group that stood with him in the exhibition hall. "Yes, please?"

He pointed at a brown haired girl who eagerly raised her hand, almost bouncing on her feet.

"When are we going to see the general?"

She blushed, as did the group of teenage girls around her, and the lieutenant inwardly groaned. All eyes were curiously resting on him, and after a brief sideways glance at their teacher, who smiled apologetically, Zack explained in a friendly way, "As I was saying—"

'_For the fifth time now_,' he thought darkly.

"—General Sephiroth is rather busy today. I doubt that we will see him."

He tried his best to appease the disappointed crowd with his smile. "Are there any other questions?"

When no one raised their hands, the soldier turned around, mumbling an inaudible "Thought so" and saying loudly, "Well then, follow me to the next hall, please."

He heard feet shuffle behind him and, with a sigh, led the group into the next room. Seriously, if he heard just one other question about seeing tanks, snipers or 'the awesome great General Sephiroth' he couldn't guarantee that they all would make it out of here alive. And he was a _patient_ person! Just why were kids so damned bloodthirsty these days?!

Yazoo was almost out of the hall when suddenly a tight grip around his arm pulled him back rather roughly. With narrowed eyes he whipped his head around to glare at the offender, but Reno was already unceremoniously dragging him towards one of the exhibit dolls clad in a general's uniform.

"What-"

"Ah, shut it, will you!" Reno hissed, throwing a quick glance towards the exit to make sure that no one had heard them. "You're pretty good at being the silent guy, just stick to it, yo," he whispered after he had made sure that no one had noticed their absence.

Yazoo graced him with a frosty look after the redhead let go of his arm and announced, while turning one his heels, "I do not know what you are up to and, frankly, I don't care. But I certainly will not partake in it."

"Hey, wait, yo!" Unnerved, Reno caught him again, pulling him back and breathing threateningly, "We're a pair now, remember? You have to stick with me."

He underlined his statement with a hard squeeze of his fingers which were still wrapped around the other's arm, and after he saw the dark, resigned look of his fellow student he let go with a smirk. "Besides, we're friends now, and friends have to stick together, no matter what."

Yazoo looked like he was chewing his tongue in order to not make a snappy comeback, but the redhead just shrugged it of. What did he care what the silver haired sissy thought…

Interested, he wandered around the dummy, inspecting it from all sides. Yazoo simply stood by, from time to time looking towards the exit and impatiently waiting for Reno to finish with his game. The ginger-haired youth didn't even think about hurrying though. Instead he suddenly stood on his toes, reaching for the doll's hat with a smirk and pulling it from its faceless, round head. He nonchalantly flipped it on his own where it hung deeply over his eyes.

"Heh, whaddcha say? Suits me, yo?" he flashed Yazoo a cocky grin, posing with his hands casually in his pockets, slouching slightly.

A pause. Then, slowly, "Four letters come to mind."

The grin grew wider and more sly (if that was even possible) as Reno switched into a saluting position, looking up at his new hat. "Cool?"

"ADHD," came the dry reply, Yazoo crossing his arms over his chest and inclining his head.

Narrowing his eyes, the redhead relaxed from his saluting position. He buried his fists in his pockets once again and replied sweetly, "I won't tell you what 5 letters _I_ have in mind whenever I see your Highness," silently mouthing 'bitch'.

"Ts, whatever," he then murmured when no answer came and, forcefully, he put the hat back onto the doll's head.

"Are we done now?" the silver haired youth asked blandly, casting a brief look at his watch.

All he got was a miffed glare and then Reno marched through the exit. Yazoo just followed, hoping that this would be the end of Reno's adventurous ambitions now. To their bad luck though, they found themselves standing in another hall with three further exits. And far and wide no one was to be seen.

The redhead stopped only briefly though, and then he confidently took the one to his left. He only halted for another moment to throw a look over his shoulder and see if Yazoo was following. Said youth was sceptically eyeing Reno wandering into the next room, but the boy bellowing, "You're comin' or what?!" effectively got his feet moving behind the red haired catastrophe.

Another four turns to the left and seven to the right later there was still no living soul to be spotted. Eventually, Reno stopped in the room with the uniforms, gazing at the doll with the all too familiar hat.

"You're not lost, are you?"

He could almost see the sarcastically raised eyebrow…

"No," Reno drawled, "I'm not lost. As you can surely see we are in the room with the uniforms."

"Again."

The redhead had half a mind to just strangle one certain annoying brat, but was deterred from doing so when suddenly a monotone ringing echoed through the empty, white hall.

Reno was just about to bolt, his mind already frantically working on an explanation how Yazoo had forced him to do it –whatever it was the alarm was ringing for- when the sound suddenly stopped with Yazoo flipping his phone open.

"Yes?"

Yazoo threw a sidelong glance at Reno, who was loitering beside a doll, eyeing him with slight curiosity. A quick look at his watch told the youth that it was already _this_ time, and he turned away from the redhead for some privacy. Not that it helped, Reno was already shuffling over.

"_Took you long enough," _Sephiroth remarked from the other end of the line, voice ripe with suspicion. He didn't like to be kept waiting, especially not when he was making his control-call to hear what his pet was doing.

"I am sorry," Yazoo said quietly, warily eyeing the redhead who unashamedly invaded his private space.

"I'll forgive you," the general said generously, the slight, lenient smile playing around his lips almost visible. "So, what is my kitten doing right now?"

"I'm on a school trip," the silver haired teen said, moving a little away from Reno, who just followed.

"_Oh? I don__'t remember setting my signature under anything that would allow such a thing."_ This was said with clear discontent and a sharp edge.

"It was the spontaneous decision of our new math teacher," Yazoo answered, face neutral.

He could have imagined Sephiroth pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation if he hadn't been so busy with escaping a certain redhead and his nonexistent respect for other people's privacy.

There was a short pause at the other end of the line that was only interrupted by a faint crackle, namely Sephiroth leaning back in his office chair.

Then the general answered, voice all sweet and interested again _"And, where are you now?"_

Throwing a look at a grinning Reno and then shifting his gaze back to the white stone tiles, Yazoo pulled a long silver strand behind his ear and murmured, so that the redhead couldn't hear it, "Although I cannot say that I am absolutely certain where my current location is situated, I would reckon that I am approximately in a 300 meters radius away from you."

"…_I beg your pardon?"_

"The trip was to your facility. Mister Fair is showing us around right now, but due to some… unfortunate circumstances, I and…" he threw another look at Reno, who had moved on to pestering one of the dolls by twisting its arm into impossible directions, "…my companion are lost."

"…_I see," _the general said, fathomlessly._ "Are there any outstanding features at your current location?"_

"Uniforms."

"You think?"

Yazoo briefly closed his eyes, trying to block Reno and his stupidity out and then repeating calmly, so as not to anger his father further, "We are in an exhibition hall with uniforms."

"_Very well. I will see that I get you out of there," _the cool voice said, and then the line was cut.

The silver haired youth snapped the phone shut and it vanished in the pocket of his school uniform again.

"Who was that?" Reno asked, bored, his attention still focused on the doll. He had managed to free its slim sword and was currently fencing it with concentrated, abrupt moves.

"Hn." Yazoo didn't feel like drawing out the whole sentence of 'It's none of your business' and just leaned against the wall, observing the redhead from behind his bangs.

"You know," Reno breathed, stabbing the air again with a quick movement and then dodging.

"Actually I only kept you with me-"

Another stab and a half turn.

"-because I thought you were smart-"

He suddenly leapt back

"-but now I have to say-"

and stabbed forward again with a triumphant little scream, still managing to look somewhat dignified and even graceful.

"I'm sorely disappointed, yo. I mean you don't even manage to get us out of a damn exhibition hall."

With a raised eyebrow he stabbed forward again, this time hitting the unmoving doll right where its heart would have been. "That's kinda poor, yo."

"May I ask what you are doing here?"

The deep, strong voice startled the both of them, Reno jumping a little and with remarkable speed hiding the sword behind his back, expression switching to one of utter innocence.

"It's all his fault yo." With his thumb he rapidly pointed into Yazoo's direction. When he finally recognized their saviour though, he stopped the movements, eyes going wide and mouth hanging slightly open.

General Sephiroth stood calmly in the entrance, hands held behind his straight back. His stern gaze was directed at the redhead, but otherwise his face was devoid of any emotion.

Yazoo pushed himself away from the wall and came to stand beside his flabbergasted partner. Since Reno had no idea that he and the general were on … pretty intimate terms and since this shouldn't change, the silver haired youth pretended to be equally flustered by Sephiroth's sudden appearance. Admittedly, he _was _slightly surprised that Sephiroth had shown up himself, and played the part with a humble bow.

"We are very sorry, Sir." He nudged Reno in the ribs so that he would bow, too, but the redhead just instantly nudged back, still gaping at the general.

Straightening to face the man again, who patiently watched them, Yazoo explained, "We came here with our class to visit the exhibition, but we got lost."

"It's his fault, yo," Reno repeated somewhat automatically, eyes still glued to the great Sephiroth.

"I see," the general said, ignoring the redhead's comment. His gaze lingered on the two boys for a moment longer, and then he came forward with slow, steady strides. When he was right in front of Reno he held out his hand and asked calmly, "May I have that back?"

The youth looked confused for a moment, then he suddenly felt the weight of the sword in his hand. With a sheepish grin, he handed the weapon over, scratching his head. "Hehe, just wanted to see if it was real, yo."

"I can assure you, it is," the general informed him, holding the sword up and staring the length of the blade. He looked back at Reno and, with a movement so swift the redhead almost didn't see, he said "And it is far too dangerous for little boys to play with."

The doll beside them suddenly split and slowly its torso slid from the rest of the body, landing on the polished ground with a thud.

"We wouldn't want you to get hurt now, would we?" the man remarked friendly, his tone slightly reprimanding.

"Hell no…" Reno gulped, eyes moving to the sliced dummy.

"Well then," Sephiroth put the sword back in the sheath which was still hanging at the destroyed doll's waist, and turned to them with a faint smile, "We should find the rest of your group."

He turned around gracefully and started to walk out of the hall, the two boys hurrying to follow him.

"Hey, you know, that's the statue-guy, yo" Reno whispered conspiratorially into Yazoo's direction. The other youth just mentally rolled his eyes.

Apparently not everyone was as ignorant as the redhead was, because when they finally caught up with the class an excited murmur went through the group, accompanied by some squeals.

Confused, Zack stopped in his explanation about how their ancestors had managed to provide their soldiers with equipment and food. He turned his head and frowned in consternation and surprise when he saw the general with two of the students behind him.

"General Sephiroth! What are you doing here?!" He shot a worried look at a group of girls who seemed ready to just collapse on him, but Reeve was already doing his best to calm his awed students down.

Sephiroth stepped into the room, gesturing with one hand at Yazoo and Reno, explaining in a dangerously amused voice, "I found two lost little lambs and thought I should safely guide them back to their herd."

Reeve turned his attention away from the girls—who seemed to have decided against collective fainting—and towards the two boys. He paled visibly and shot them a critical stare before facing the general.

"I have no excuses for this." He bowed his head in an attempt to excuse the inexcusable, but Sephiroth just stopped him with a wave of his hand.

"Please, it is alright. Fortunately, nothing happened. Besides, the responsibility also lies with us. I have to apologize as well." He shot Zack a meaningful, displeased look, the raven haired man instantly hurrying to lower his head to give his apologies.

After they had assured each other how sorry they were, Sephiroth let his cool eyes wander over the group of elite students who were staring back at him in amazement and adoration.

He instantly spotted Loz, who had lowered his head and looked to the ground, avoiding his gaze. Yazoo and Reno had gone back to the end of the loose line.

The general was just about to open his mouth and give his farewell when another soldier entered the room, directly heading for Sephiroth after he had barely spared the crowd an awkward look.

He had blond, spiky hair and big blue eyes – which earned him some interested looks from the female teenagers that could manage to withdraw their attention from Sephiroth for a moment. In one hand he was holding a black notebook, his face stern.

"Sir, I am sorry to disturb you and your important business." He didn't even bat an eyelash at the lie.

"Lieutenant Strife," the general said in a neutral tone, turning towards him, even though he didn't look very pleased to see him. Strife coming usually meant work. Annoying work. "What is it."

"I am afraid you must come back to the office," Cloud declared, moving closer to the general and saying in a low voice so that they couldn't be heard. "Inspector Valentine requests an audience again."

"Does he?" the silver haired man remarked with a raised eyebrow. "Well then, tell him to come back at another time. I am busy right now."

Lieutenant Strife looked uncertain for a moment, asking "Sir? But your schedule is clear for the next two hours."

"Hn," Sephiroth clasped his hands behind his back, "I just decided that I will lead this group of splendid young men and women through our facility myself."

He smiled at the group that still watched the two men's exchange in fascination. "After all, I believe they have heard enough boring theory now, haven't you? They must believe the military is just a bunch of rotten, dusty uniforms. How about watching the real thing now?"

Needless to say, the crowd was elated and expressed it loudly. Zack looked somewhat horrified and disbelieving, Reeve tried to calm his students down and Sephiroth leaned over to his PA, instructing curtly. "Deliver Valentine my sincerest apologies, but unfortunately I am not available right now."

Strife just gave a short nod and went off to send the Inspector away for the fifth time now.

Flashing the group his most endearing smile, the general bid them to follow him outside the exhibition and see the 'real world' that was the military.

* * *

**Valitiel:** Yeah, isn´t he? Zack´s so depressing ;) And now we have Vincent connected too, somehow^^ That´s true, Reeve being very open to interpretation I mean. I hope I give him a nice personality.

**Xyleel:** Jaha, die 100ste ^^ Ich liebe Reno auch, der kann so herrlich trocken und fies sein, wenn er will :D Gibt es überhaupt häßliche Leute in AC? Mir fällt spontan gar keiner ein... Bei Reno und Yazoo scheint dass irgendwie so´n komisches Ding aus nicht mögen und sich trotzdem zueinander-hingezogen-fühlen zu sein. Vielleicht sind sie auch beide nur masochistisch veranlagt^^ Na, werden wir ja noch sehen. Aber du hast recht; ein Freund würde Yazoo sicher gut tun.

**sareyva:** Yazoo had actually encouraged Loz to get a girlfriend but I guess he didn´t expect to backfire at him like that :) Or maybe he did but doesn´t care enough to do anything about it. I think Loz had a strange feeling when eyeing the statue, but then I guess he´s used to seeing the general being worshipped in public since he´s a hero and everything. But at home Sephiroth certainly is no hero... -.-

**Review please?**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey there! Here´s the next chapter :)**

**Very special thanks to purefoysgirl for the awesome betaing!!!**

**Enjoy!**

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20

The class and the three leaders went along a path to come to stand at an open place. Several targets were placed at a distance and a group of men in uniforms with marksman rifles were doing their target practice.

Upon seeing General Sephiroth and Lieutenant Zack they stopped their activities and saluted, the trainer standing straight before the group and giving his greeting as well. His eyes briefly scanned the crowd but he showed no surprise to see so many teenagers encroaching upon his practice field.

Sephiroth shot the man a brief glance that told him to just continue with his instructions, and then gave Zack a look, ordering him to take over the part for explanations. Within the facility it was no secret that Sephiroth wasn't exactly fond of shooting devices and so Zack gave a small sigh, plastering another smile onto his face.

Curious eyes moved from the soldiers resuming their training towards the Lieutenant. Reeve stood beside the group of students, regarding the gunmen with slight worry.

"As you can see, this is one of the training grounds for our snipers. Good training is, of course, essential to provide a sniper with the skills needed to perform well. Military sniper training isn't just about precision marksmanship under various operational conditions, but it also aims to teach a high degree of proficiency in cover and concealment, as well as stalking and observation…"

Bored, Sephiroth stopped listening to his underling's elaborations—maintaining a façade of interest—and instead eyed the crowd of fascinated brats that hung to Zack's every word. Well, maybe the male runts were enthralled, but the females were busy throwing Sephiroth looks and giggling.

The general quirked the corner of his lip in an almost smile and observed with cold detachment how they responded exactly as he had calculated: namely with more giggling, squealing, and fidgeting. And here they asked him why he wouldn't keep himself a woman…

His eyes shifted over to the end of the line where a certain red-head shifted restlessly from one foot to the other, silently beseeching Zack for a cigarette break because the damn gum didn't even come close to burning his lungs like a good, old cig did. His fidgeting, nervous form concealed the calm, attentive silver-haired youth Sephiroth originally intended to lay his eyes on.

He got distracted from the crowd when his PA came down the sunny path and, with a brief salute, stood beside the general to inform him that he had delivered the message to the inspector.

Sephiroth just straightened his back a little, indifferently watching Zack explaining the process of shooting, and then asking Strife in a low voice, "What is the further procedure of this routine?"

Cloud looked blankly ahead for a moment, hands behind his straight back, then his confusion gave way to his usual stern eagerness as he said, "Well, sir, since you strayed from the usual routine this time I am not certain, but I would say that after this the group will have lunch."

Languid gaze still flicking over the targets, Sephiroth asked, "Where?"

"The canteen I believe."

Green eyes shifted towards the blond as the general asked in a displeased, sharp tone, "Who ordered that? This is the future elite of our country, a bunch of spoiled brats that were born with silver spoons in their puling mouths! I certainly won't feed them with this _muck_! Get me a free conference room and some decent food."

The lieutenant blinked, opening his mouth to ask how in the hell he was supposed to manage to get first class food for 25 people within half an hour.

"_Now_," the general growled in that imperious tone of his that tolerated absolutely no objection.

Cloud shut his mouth, saluting and hurrying back to the building.

"…and anticipating the behaviour of the target is necessary to accurately place the shot," Zack said, pausing for a moment to breath.

The general took this opportunity to step forward and smiled faintly at the group, saying, "Well, Lieutenant Fair, that is all well and good, but I suppose it is a bit difficult to imagine the theory, isn't it?" He gave the crowd a questioning look and 22 heads nodded in unison.

Zack frowned, not knowing what Sephiroth wanted from him but he found out soon enough when the general turned towards him, saying with a thin smile, "Therefore I'd recommend a _demonstration_."

The black haired soldier _absolutely_ did not like where this was going and narrowed his eyes, but his superior wasn't paying any attention to him as he faced the crowd again and asked, head slightly tilted and long hair cascading down his back, "Does somebody, by any chance, have a piece of fruit or a bottle of water or something of that sort with them?"

Instantly a rustle started with the group, everyone searching their designer rucksacks for their drinks.

Eventually, an apple was thrown from the last row and Sephiroth caught it casually with one hand, giving his favourite child a pleased look. With his finger he gestured the trainer to him and the man made his recruits stop, walking over.

"What are you doing?!" Zack whispered through gritted teeth and a smile that was still plastered to his unhappy face, throwing the slightly concerned math teacher a reassuring look.

"I believe I already stated that. What's the matter? Don't you trust in our sniper's ability you just bragged about so loudly? Now, do you want to cooperate or shall I ask for someone else to volunteer?" came the cool answer as Sephiroth arched an eyebrow, the red apple resting in his hand.

Zack threw a horrified look at the curious and excited students, being fairly sure that at least half of them would be ready and eager to do whatever Sephiroth would ask from them, trusting that they were in good hands.

"I'll do it," he 'volunteered', grabbing the apple and walking over to the trainer who had stopped at a distance so as not to invade his superiors' conversation.

While Zack explained the situation to the man, Sephiroth turned back towards the crowd, a somewhat sly and satisfied smile on his lips.

"Lieutenant Fair already informed you of the precision with which our soldiers are gifted. Now, we can _tell_ you a lot, but to prove the validity of our words Lieutenant Fair will now demonstrate how efficient a sniper really is."

All eyes shifted over to the uniformed man who had come to a halt before one of the targets, where he stood straight with a tight expression and held out the apple before the bull's eye with his left hand.

"The target is approximately three hundred meters away and will be shot by one of our magnificent men," Sephiroth announced calmly, turning so that he could witness the spectacle himself.

Reeve shifted a little towards the silver haired man, clearing his throat and whispering with concern evident in his voice "Excuse me sir, but is this really a good idea?"

"Do not worry, our men are used to doing this," Sephiroth assured quietly, an excited and somewhat cruel sparkle in his eyes. His training methods might be controversial but so far they had proven to be extremely effective. Should the sniper slip up, though…Well, bad luck, he guessed, and also good proof that this branch was totally overestimated.

It had become utterly silent, quite a few of the students holding their breath.

Zack adjusted his hat, taking a deep breath and then with a determined look gave the sniper the sign that he was ready. He'd never approved of Sephiroth's methods since he'd learned about them, thinking that they were just unnecessarily dangerous, but now that he found himself on the receiving end his reluctance just grew even more.

The air was heavy with tension, all eyes glued to the tiny apple that was barely visible from the distance.

And then a small sound echoed through the air, not much more than a 'puff' and the fruit exploded, splattering against the target where the bullet was stuck right in the bull's eye.

Breathing again, Zack shook his hand a little, where the fruit juice and some bits were dripping. He took another moment and tried to gather himself together as he walked back to the group, his face call and his small, tight smile not directed at the general.

The students clapped their hands with admiration, curiously eyeing Zack's juicy hand which the man tried to clean with a white cloth the trainer handed him.

"As you can see Lieutenant Fair did not exaggerate," the general said, smiling sweetly at his inferior.

His phone rang at that moment and he excused himself to answer it. He snapped it shut a second later though, and faced the crowd of students and their teacher again, saying, "I suppose you must be hungry now. Lunch is just set up, so if you would please follow me."

The line formed again, excited whispers being exchanged by the students as the group slowly moved behind him.

With utter fascination Yazoo stared at the snipers going back to their usual routine after they had saluted their general one last time.

"Did you know that they have to wear diapers when they're on their missions?" a vicious, gleeful voice suddenly whispered into the teen's ear, pulling him out of his reverie. Giving Reno a look that made it clear he did not appreciate the redhead so ruthlessly invading his private space—which was just shrugged off anyway—Yazoo tore his eyes away from the men and followed the rest of his group, ignoring his smirking and smoking partner.

*

"How in the hell did you manage to set this up in half an hour?" Zack whispered, staring in disbelief at the plates of food and the groups of tables and chairs that had been arranged in the conference room.

Cloud's expression remained neutral when he simply answered, "It was general Sephiroth's wish."

Zack gave a slight frown, then the sunny smile was back on his lips and he hit the man on the shoulder in a friendly manner. "Impressive, good job spiky!"

Cloud stumbled a little forward from the surprising 'attack' and cleared his throat, straightening his jacket, but the other soldier had already gone off to enjoy the food. The blond was wondering though, how Sephiroth would take the bill for all of this…

Meanwhile a certain redhead was piling a mountain of food on his plate, greedily letting his eyes wander over the different kinds of food.

Yazoo was standing beside him with a small portion of green salad that was forlornly hunched in the middle of the too large plate.

"I do not want to disturb your… food gathering," he suddenly said, sounding just the slightest bit appalled as Reno grabbed into a pot and smashed some potatoes on his too full plate with his bare hand, "But the 13 people behind us might want to eat, too."

Not even deigning to spare a look at the grumpy, impatient crowd which waited for him to move on, Reno let his gaze slide over the pots and plates, grabbing for another thing and letting a huge chicken wing fall on Yazoo's plate. "Stop bitching, yo."

He licked his dirty fingers and, after a last concentrated look on the food, he stepped away, carefully balancing the pile of food while with his free hand grabbing for Yazoo's arm and dragging him behind. The silver haired youth still stared at the greasy chicken wing that spoiled his carefully arranged salad with its disgusting drops of fat and therefore was too busy to protest.

"Hey, yo, these places free or what?"

Not waiting for an answer Reno just let go of Yazoo and pushed his chair back, plopping down in front of Loz, Tifa and Rude. After he had put his full plate down he pulled at Yazoo's sleeve again, ordering, "Sit down, yo."

Loz's eyes instantly narrowed and he was about to put the redhead back in his place but Yazoo just shot him a look to let it slide and sat down next to the energetic (hyperactive) youth.

While the redhead unceremoniously stuffed his mouth with the strange mixture of food that had mingled on his plate he eyed the pair before him, especially the part where Tifa and her ample bosom were placed. And he did it rather bluntly, making the brown haired girl shift uncomfortably.

Loz's expression darkened another few remarkable degrees, but since Tifa had mentioned that she did not like violence he refrained from just crushing Reno's damn neck and instead cleared his throat, seething.

Reno kept on chewing and staring though, not getting the hint or maybe not wanting to.

Loz could only take so much and so he banged his big fist on the table, making the plates jump and Tifa flinch.

At least the redhead moved his eyes to Loz and his furious expression.

"What's up?" he asked, putting another fork of rice-potato-meat-sauce into his mouth.

"I'd appreciate it if you could look somewhere other than Tifa's …breasts." He shot his girlfriend a quick, apologetic look for not having found a more discreet word. At least he hadn't said 'tits'… Tifa gave him a small smile, reassuringly squeezing his hand under the table and giving Reno a challenging look.

The redhead just shrugged, chewing and stirring his food, "Sure. Ain't my thing anyway, I prefer more mature ladies…Like that blond chick that teaches the brats, yo. No offence baby." He threw Tifa an apologetic look but the girl looked far less than miserable that she didn't fit into Reno's target group anyway.

Loz gave a low growl, but since the delinquent youth had his offending eyes fixed on his plate now, he just continued eating his own food.

"Yo, did you hear that ´bout Tseng?" Reno just spoke up again, licking his finger and then boldly reaching over to Yazoo's plate and getting the chicken that hadn't fit on his own plate before. Disgusted, he peeled a piece of salad from the meat with pointy fingers and threw it back into the soup of fat and green glibber that had formerly been Yazoo's salad. The silver haired youth just pushed the plate away from him, deciding that he wasn't hungry any longer.

Tifa looked at her plate in sadness, saying, "Yes, I heard about that. I didn't know him for long but he seemed like a nice person and a good teacher."

Loz just pushed his food around, slowly chewing and trying to get the lump in his throat under control. "Yeah," he rasped hoarsely, glancing at Yazoo, who just blinked.

"Yeah, he was, wasn't he?" Reno let his fork rest against his plate, looking over to Rude. "Got me n' Rude out of the ghetto, yo. He was a cool guy."

The young man nodded, his expression unreadable due to his sunglasses.

Silence reigned for awhile until Reno spoke up again, voice sounding a little tight, "It's strange, though. They still haven't buried him."

Tifa lifted her head, asking with slight confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Reno said, leaning back in his seat and looking at her, "That usually the police would set his corpse free for the family. Unless they suspect a crime, that is."

The girl's eyes widened a bit at that as, shocked, she asked, "You don't think someone did something to Mister Tseng?"

The redhead chewed his lip, looking stressed, but then slowly answered, "I don't know. But _if_ someone did something to him I'll find them. And I'll make damn sure that they'll regret it, yo."

Rude just nodded in agreement.

Yazoo remained expressionless, eyeing his ruined salad with boredom and wondering if he should get himself another plate.

Tifa cleared her throat, sensing her boyfriend's distress. "Well, I'm sure there's another reason for this… How did you like the tanks, Loz?"

The bulky boy scratched his head, a small smile gracing his features as he tried to hide the moisture in his eyes, and started to tell her what he thought about the tanks.

* * *

**Heh, poor Zack... I find the army to be incredibly fascinating, but I guess I wouldn´t want to work under a maniac like Sephy...**

**Anyway, I´m afraid it will take a while until this will be updated. I´m having a little trouble with this story right now -too many ideas that have to be coordinated, but I hope that I can write something soon!**

**Thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed and/or faved this story so far, I hope you enjoyed it!**

**purefoysgirl:** Thank you so much! I have so much fun writing Reno, he´s such a refreshing character *speed upgrows him and tosses him your way* And I love Sephiroth for being such a deliciously arrogant asshole - but he at least has every right to be like that^^

**Valitiel:** Heh, it does run in the family indeed :D I´m afraid the secret of Sephiroth having children will not be revealed just yet, but it definitely will be, just a little later^^ Thank you for reviewing, I´m glad you liked it!

**Xyleel:** Haha, Telefonsex wahrscheinlich auch;) Aber als Kontrollfreak vermutlich auch einfach mal hören was sein 'Haustier' so treibt, nur um sicher zu gehen, dass Yazoo nix anstellt was Sephy missfallen könnte.... Ich selber finds auch ziemlich erfrischend Reno zu schreiben, der lockert das ganze echt etwas auf. Ich habe eine grobe Vorstellung wohin das alles gehen soll, und vielleicht wendet sich Yazoo wirklich von Sephy ab? Ob für Reno, oder jemand anderen- wir werdens hoffentlich bald wissen^^ Und die fangirls... Die mussten da einfach mit rein XD Danke für das Kommentar und ich freu mich dass es dir gefallen hat! (Übrigens: ich hab ja nun mitgekriegt dass du Renzoo magst und dachte mir zur 'Erholung' von diesem fic könnte ich dir einen Renzoo oneshot schreiben wenn du magst? Wenn du irgendwas bestimmtes möchtest, sagst du´s mir?)

**oztan:** Oh, you just gave me so many ideas with your question! Now I have to ponder them and try if I maybe can use them, they have so much potential (of course I´ll credit you for the plotbunny^^). So I can´t answer that just yet, but hopefully you can read them soon... Thank you very much!

**sareyva:** Yes, I bet they would be pretty disturbed -apart from the ones that would like to watch XD And I´m sure that Sephiroth really thought exactly that! Poor Reeve- he better be careful ;P I´m glad you liked the chapter, I had much fun writing it, and thanks for reviewing!

**Aiko Celeste:** Thank you! I´m glad you liked it! The Reno -Yazoo interaction was fun to write, it adds a lighter note to the overly angsty last chapters^^

**Review please?**


	21. Chapter 21

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**Here it is, chapter 21^^ **

**Thanks to purefoysgirl for the awesome betaing, please enjoy!**

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21

After the meal the group sat together to ask their questions that hadn't been answered yet, and naturally the first one was directed at the general.

"Could you please tell us about your historical battle at the western border?" A neat, young man with an accurate side parting and glasses asked.

Sephiroth, standing in front of the group, graced the student with a small smile, answering, "Aren't you already bored of this story? I suppose you must have heard that quite a few times now. And I am sure your teacher can provide you with the more accurate details and facts…"

"We want to hear it from the great general himself, though," a girl said, blushing as Sephiroth's green eyes wandered over to her.

"Yes," cut in another student with a heavy gelled hairstyle, Sephiroth recognized to be the son of a high administrative. "Tell us how you crushed those fuckers with just a handful of your people!"

"Is it really true that you were only 25 men against 400?"

"And that you had, like, only swords against heavy firearms?"

"They were 35 against 416—or at least that's what they could make out from the enemy body parts they found!" the youth who had first spoken up corrected his fellow student in a know-it-all manner, adjusting his glasses with smug importance.

"And were you _really_ the only survivor?"

Reeve stood up and moved his hands in a calming manner to quiet down his excited students, throwing Sephiroth another apologetic look. "Please calm down!"

The general just smiled a thin smile, gesturing to the teacher that it was alright. Crossing his legs to get more comfortable, he waited until he had the pupils attention once again before saying, "Well it seems you are even far more knowledgeable than I am."

The group laughed with flushed faces, but expectantly observed the silver haired man when he casually folded his hands in his lap and started to explain, "It is true. As your companion already pointed out, we were at a clear disadvantage where group size was concerned. Our division consisted of 35 men that were –compared to the enemy—poorly equipped, you might think. At that time I was only a lieutenant and our mission was to scout out the west of enemy territory for their movements. As it happened, we were deliberately ambushed, the enemy lying in wait with a far greater number. It also added to their advantage that they knew the territory, which was unfamiliar to my troops and after unexpected, heavy rainfalls my men and I were suffering from starvation, exhaustion and illness. When they attacked us we were already in a bad shape. But what we lacked in number, equipment, and knowledge was balanced by our fervent fighting spirit and the unwavering determination to crush the hated enemy in order to protect our country and the people that we held dear. And so we gritted our teeth and under my command developed a tactic that lead to our victory in the end. I won't bore you with the exact details, but we fought with determination and spirit and in the end—although 34 honourable men had to give their lives for their country—the enemy was crushed, the victory was ours and the western border was secured."

20 amazed, utterly impressed pairs of eyes gaped at the great general casually lounging in his chair. Loz looked a bit uncertain, but couldn't fend off the slight feeling of respect for the man's achievements. Next to him, Tifa squeezed his hand in unconscious excitement.

A hand rose up again, and Sephiroth nodded at the bespectacled youth to ask his question.

"It is said that this battle influenced the whole flow of the war at that time and that the enemy was so frightened by you that they lost their fighting spirit, which is why we won the war."

"Oh?" Sephiroth said, inclining his head a little. "Well, I can neither confirm nor deny that statement. Some war experts interpreted that to be the case, but all I have to say is that the enemy was of a wretched, pitiful, and inferior nature and therefore was doomed to fall under our blades."

The group nodded with flushed faces, and another girl raised her squeaky voice with her eyes on Zack, who sat beside Sephiroth in a chair on the podium. "Lieutenant Fair, did you also serve in that battle?"

"Moron," a certain redhead snorted, making the girl blush and indignantly turn her head towards the last row. "If he'd have served there he wouldn't be sittin' _here_ right now." He shook his fiery head, grunting, "Some people…"

Zack closed his mouth, throwing the flustered, embarrassed girl a sympathetic look and saying softly, "No I was on another mission at that time."

"Yo, general," Reno shouted from the place where he was splayed in his chair in an almost bored fashion, ignoring the scandalized looks of his fellow students and the displeased frown of his teacher. "What ya sayin' 'bout the current tendency of some politicians that we oughta reduce military funds an' rather spend 'em on education and job politics, instead of pointlessly squander them for more tanks and tactical aircraft an' shit? _Especially_ since we aren't at war anymore and there's hardly any justification for more armament."

All aghast eyes were fixated on the unfazed redhead, who just expectantly eyed the great general. Sephiroth's eyes had turned somewhat cold at the question, but he maintained his calm attitude, answering in a friendly tone, "Well, first I'd like to point out that the army makes an important contribution to education. Contrary to certain beliefs, we are actually _working_ here and we provide our members with first class training in all sectors, whether it be in medicine, psychology, research, or warfare. We offer magnificent career contingencies for splendid, flexible, and highly motivated young people who wish for a diversified, responsible job, and who do not fear challenges or power. They must, of course, be devoted to the protection of their country."

He flashed the group a small smile, noticing the sparkling eyes with some satisfaction. After all, the purpose of these trips was to recruit competent young people for the army, and having the impressible future elite of the country sitting here was an excellent opportunity to do just that.

"As to your second comment," Sephiroth continued, eyeing the offensive brat with a complacent, easy, little smile, "I'd say that those politicians are lucky that in times of war we do not ask who voted against or in favour of new funds for us, and that we will defend them nonetheless. As the past has shown, the enemy never rests to strive for more power and if we think we can be complacent enough to let our guard slip we will wake up from our utopian daydreaming to a nightmare in which our role will be mere annihilation and slaughter by our far more viciously thinking 'confederates'. My advice to those free-thinking people is to indulge in a good dose of realism before they preach one of their pacifistic speeches and risk the lives of the people they pretend to represent."

Again, the crowd nodded with obvious glee at the verbal defeat their unloved companion had suffered. Reno didn't look very bothered though; instead he was frowning and thoughtfully scratching his head. He didn't look awfully convinced either.

"Well," Zack cleared his throat, shifting in his seat. After a quick glance at Sephiroth, he said to the redhead, "There are, of course, diplomatic ways as well. I have served abroad for a long time now and the people there are just as interested in peaceful ways to settle conflicts as we are. They have no more interest in war than we do and communication and friendly politics are essential to maintain our current peace. I think if we try to be more open to understand other cultures we can help peace to remain." His eyes glimmered with enthusiasm that was dulled only by the frosty, displeased look he received from his superior. Licking his lips, Zack quickly added, "Of course the military plays an important role to help to achieve that as well."

Abruptly, Sephiroth stood from his seat, taking a quick glance at the clock hanging by the door and announcing, "Well, I am afraid our time is up, unfortunately."

An unhappy murmur came from the group, which died down when Sephiroth continued, hands behind his back and his eyes wandering over the crowd with a pleased smile, "It was a great pleasure for me to meet you today and I hope that you had fun at our facility."

He received a collective, enthusiastic nodding, that was only hesitantly joined by one thoughtful redhead.

"Oh, the pleasure was all ours," Reeve assured, shaking Sephiroth's hand. "We thank you for taking the time to guide our group, I am sure you must have been rather busy."

"Oh well," Sephiroth dismissed, turning towards the group again as the teacher was occupied with thanking Cloud and Zack as well.

"I'd be delighted to see the one or the other again in a few years, and I am certain you will do great things to serve your country. There is just one last thing I'd like to give you to take along: when we were out on the battlefield, surrounded by the enemy and facing an overwhelmingly superior number, it was neither the sword nor tactics that saved us—it was our hearts, our willpower and the unwavering belief to defend and protect, our love for our country that gave us power and made us superior. Never forget that real power is not in a tool but within yourself, and that you can only serve your people when you acknowledge that fact and make yourselves a tool for the greater good."

There was a moment of awed silence and then the group stood up at once, driven by collective enthusiasm, saluting and 20 voices echoing into the quiet room with deadly serious faces, "Yes sir!"

Surprised, Reeve let go of Cloud's hand, stopping mid-sentence in his whispered apologies for all the trouble. He turned around to see his students all ramrod still with their hands on their foreheads and their gazes straight forward.

A tiny smile formed on the general's lips, before he straightened—his cool gaze resting on the young people—and said in his usual imperious, sharp tone used on his soldiers: "Dismissed!"

Shaking his head, Reno got up from his chair, grumpily shuffling behind the excitedly chattering and giggling students as they went back to the bus.

*

Reno slouched in his seat on the air-conditioned bus, knees pressed against the chair in front of him and moving his hands through his hear in a restless manner.

They were currently having a discussion about their trip that was lead by Reeve and he just felt that he couldn't stand the excited blabbering about the 'great general' and his achievements any longer. It made him sick to listen to their unreflective parroting of Sephiroth's propaganda, and he harshly interrupted the importantly spoken indoctrinations of the four-eyes –he had never bothered to learn the guy's name, he couldn't stand him- by growling, "Cut it, will ya?!"

Surprised, the youth stopped and all heads turned towards the redhead. Reeve, who stood in front of them in the narrow corridor that divided the comfortable double seats into two rows, looked at him as well and then amiably asked, "Reno, was it?"

The redhead gave a short, morose nod.

Reeve gave him an inviting smile, asking softly, "Do you want to share your thoughts with us? Please feel free to speak."

"Sure as hell I will, yo," Reno growled, gracing his group with a look equally as condescending as they were giving him. "Cos I really don't get some peoples' stupidity yo. Sure, general Sephiroth may be a hero and saved the country and all that crap," he rolled his eyes, "but that doesn't give him the right to act like some self-righteous dictator, yo!"

Reeve nodded in understanding, giving the murmuring students a reprimanding look to be quiet please, and listen to what their fellow student had to say.

"I mean, what the fuck?! You're all idolising him like he is some kind of war god or something, but hell, I bet you didn't even know that he's trying to force a new war and that he's attempting to revive compulsory military service again!"

The talking died down at that and the redhead realised with a snort that they indeed hadn't known that.

"So what?" the four-eyes spoke up haughtily. "_Someone_ has to defend the country."

"Oh yeah? Against what?! If we'd stop trying so hard to make someone the scapegoat and demonize a nonexistent 'enemy' – which is a common strategy to distract from interstate problems by the way- and instead concentrate on diplomatic ways there wouldn't be a need to defend anything! And for what costs anyway?! Leading our guys into disaster by force? But I bet it's only the poor, destitute guys that will serve as cannon fodder, so why bother, eh?" He shot the other students a sarcastic, challenging look, clearly aware that he was not part of their rich, spoiled lives.

"Yeah, you must know," someone muttered viciously, earning himself quite a few chuckles.

Reeve frowned at that but he couldn't make out the offender, so all he could do was give the whole bus in general a displeased look.

Clearing his throat, his eyes wandered over the group until they came to settle on a silver haired youth he hadn't heard say anything as of yet.

"Yazoo," he said, and the boy looked up from his book. "What do you think about this?"

Laying his reading on the empty seat beside him, he seemed to think about it for a moment before quietly declaring, "I believe that some sacrifices have to be made in order to guarantee the welfare of the masses. It is the only logical way to survive as a civilization."

"Oh yeah?" Reno flared up again, leaning forward in his seat. "And would ya still say the same if it was your brother that's been sent out there to crawl in the dirty, bloody mud to get his guts shot out? Would you vote for compulsory military service if you knew that he could be slaughtered like a pig?"

All eyes moved over to Loz who uncomfortably shifted in his seat, licking his lips and gazing over at his expressionless younger brother.

It was deadly silent when Yazoo turned around to face the angry redhead, tilting his head a little. "And would you, if you knew it could come upon your father?"

Reno didn't feel the 22 pairs of eyes curiously watching him as his jaw dropped and his eyes went wide.

His hands clawed into the plush seat in front of him and through gritted teeth he hissed, "You know what? _Fuck_. _You_."

He fell back in his seat, grabbing for his music device and signalling that he was no longer partaking in the discussion or wanted to be talked to. Rude shot him a questioning, slightly concerned look, but he ignored it, staring straight out of the window.

Reeve didn't know what was going on so he left it alone for now, observing with a slight frown how the group congratulated Yazoo for shutting the annoying redhead up.

The silver haired teen didn't say anything else about it, briefly acknowledging the friendly smiles and nods with a curt nod of his own before going back to reading his book.

*

The bus stopped in front of the school, empty now since it was already late afternoon and the sun was casting the green, park-like yard in orange light. Reno grabbed his bag, angry, and forced his way past the students, roughly pushing them aside. He couldn't wait to finally get out and away from the little dipshits.

"So I thought I could come home a little later. Tifa's house is only two streets away from ours and her parents aren't home anyway so I won't cause any trouble," Loz tried to convince his brother in a hushed whisper, glancing over to his waiting girlfriend and giving her a brief smile. Then he went back to giving his brother the puppy eyes.

Yazoo didn't look very convinced but then something else caught his attention and he just said, "I don't mind." Before Loz could squeeze him in a happy hug he excused himself, curtly nodding at Tifa before he went after Reno.

The redhead set quite a pace, but just before the dorms Yazoo reached the angry youth.

"Reno, wait please."

The teen stopped dead in his tracks and then slowly turned around, coldly eyeing the panting, silver haired youth from above.

"What," he asked frostily; not feeling like dealing with Yazoo's shit right now.

"I want to apologize," Yazoo offered with a pacifying smile. "I should not have said those things, it was inappropriate and I am truly sorry."

Reno shifted his weight to the other foot, looking at Yazoo for a long moment before he got the pack of cigarettes from his pocket, flipping one out and lighting it. Taking a deep drag and breathing the smoke from his lungs, he eventually came towards the other student, stopping only mere inches before the unflinching figure.

Yazoo was still sporting that faint, apologetic smile and after a moment, Reno gave in, sighing. He summoned an equal, barely-there smile and then asked in a sweet voice, "You know what the problem with your kind of people is?"

The shorter boy didn't say anything, but the smile slowly vanished as he tilted his head and eyed the redhead with sudden wariness.

"You may have it here," Reno continued, tapping Yazoo's forehead with just a little more force than was necessary, his voice becoming bitter when he added, "But you totally and utterly lack it _there_."

He roughly shoved his index finger against Yazoo's chest over his heart, deliberately blowing smoke into his face before he turned on his heel and walked away.

With a lifted eyebrow, the youth watched Reno vanish inside the dorms, bag hanging from his shoulder and his unfinished smoke lying on the ground.

Then he just turned around and headed towards home, failing to see Reeve standing by the building and looking after him.

TBC

* * *

** It went a little political there, I do apologize if you found it boring, but I thought it was necessary to emphasize what kind of man Sephiroth is in this story, and how ambivalent things are. He is a national hero, he has incredible power and influence... And he is extremely conservative and manipulative. So, this is an insight into the political matters of the AU and I really hope I didn´t bore you!  
**

**Well, next chapter will have more Kadaj again^^**

**purefoysgirl:** Haha, yes, Reno probably made it his goal to 'adobt' Yazoo, and maybe he´ll succeed. At the moment it doesn´t look good, but things can change. I think Cloud just worships Sephiroth like he did in FFVII before Seph went batshit, that is why he puts so much effort into it. Zack might lose his patience some time not so far in the future... And cool, you are??? I´d like to just grill you about it, I find it incredibly interesting, but I only know the theories, so hearing it from a wholly different perspective sounds super interesting! Maybe, if you feel like it and it doesn´t bother you too much, you can tell me a little (via YIM or so)?

**Valitiel:** Sephiroth IS a show-off, isn´t he? Well, he´s a hero and he knows what kids want these days, so he 'entertains' them -.- And we´ll see if they catch up to Yazoo´s secret or not - the ball got rolling already.

**Aiko Celeste:** Heh, Sephiroth gets an idea about Reno, but it probably isn´t a good one... Still, I doubt it´s enough for him to kill the redhead^^ He might wonder, though, if Reno isn´t a bad influence to Yazoo, but we´ll see about that in the next chapters. And yes, Yazoo has probably been so detached from his murder that he simply didn´t listen, or didn´t connect the threat to himself. He simply doesn´t care and maybe he doesn´t see Reno as a serious threat at all... I think I found my direction for the next few chapters at least, thank you^^

**oztan:** Ah, what a great plot bunny!!! That would have been SO cool, letting them fight against each other - with paintball guns XD Reno´d have been even redder and Yazoo might have been a light shade of lilac... Haha, I just can see that before my inner eye! But I guess that would go a little too far even for Sephiroth, but maybe I can include that idea into a later chapter, like gym classes or something...

**Xyleel:** Jaja, der Yazoo-kaltherzig wie eh und je XD Er hat in der Tat ziemlich viel Vertrauen darin, dass er nicht auffliegt, und zurecht. Aber Vincent ist ja auch nicht unbedingt von vorgestern... Naja^^ Ja, ich wollte seine Faszination für Schusswaffen auf jeden Fall einbauen! Da werden noch ein paar mehr Referenzen kommen, weil ihn dieses Interesse noch in Situationen bringen wird die wichtig sind *hüstel* Will ja nicht zuviel verraten ;) Obwohl Sephy so begeistert sein wird, ist eine andere Sache... Wir werden sehen! Du hast schon recht, Yazoo geht´s ja prima mit Sephiroth-die Frage ist nur, was wenn nicht mehr? Haha, ja, ich habe Reno als den dominanteren Charackter in ihrer 'Beziehung' dargestellt, und Yazoo mus sich von ihm ganz schön rumschubsen lassen, aber das zeigt den Kontrast zu seiner Kaltbkütigkeit einerseits, und andererseits ist er aber eben auch nur ein 14-jähriger Schüler mit mehr oder weniger normalen Problemen...

**sareyva:** Yes, you are right, Sephiroth definitiely has a point about the food. He might be crazy, but he´s not stupid! No one of these spoiled children would indeed want anything to do with the army if they were to eat that food... *shudders and remembers school canteen* Hahha, and initially I really wanted Zack to put the apple on his head, but then I thought that even Sephiroth wouldn´t be allowed to go that far with his methods! He´d probably have no problems letting his men doing such things, but I suppose his superiours wouldn´t take that. And yes, Yazoo got hooked on firearms, and no, Sephiroth probably won´t be pleased by that :D Yazoo thinks both, I believe: he doesn´t care and he thinks he won´t be caught.... Right now the plotline is packed, but I´ll see that I can spare a bit for Loz and Tifa action, we haven´t seen much of them, have we? *sigh*

**Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing and being patient with me!!!!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey there! New chapter, thanks to purefoysgirl for the awesome betaing!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

22

When Yazoo opened the metal gate to their mansion he discovered that the warm bath he had anticipated would have to wait when he found himself confronted with a scene that was the opposite of relaxing.

There before a flower bed knelt his littlest brother, hands still dirty from pulling out weeds. That in itself wasn't very upsetting, apart from maybe the fact that he should have been done by now. What was alarming was the figure crouched down beside him—a figure with a red coat and a gloved hand which held something for Kadaj to look at, a figure speaking to him with a calm, serious face.

Letting go of the gate Yazoo quickly strode over, summoning a friendly expression to cover his true emotions.

"Good afternoon," he called, walking up to them.

Kadaj looked up and his features instantly brightened when he saw his brother. He jumped to his little feet, running up to Yazoo and shouting, "Yazzy! Where have you been? It's _late!_" He pointed an accusing finger at the other, pouting, "I was _worried!"_

Yazoo benignly smiled at him, grabbing for his little, dirty hands before they could wrap around his body and soil his uniform "I'm sorry, but we had an unexpected school trip and it took a little longer than expected."

"Oh," Kadaj said, frowning, but then shrugged with a mischievous grin. "Okay, I'll forgive you then."

"You're too kind," Yazoo retorted with a slightly sarcastic undertone, suddenly grabbing the boy and tickling his thin sides.

"Hahahaha, stop!" Kadaj gasped, laughing and squirming to get out of the hug.

"Good afternoon," Vincent quietly interrupted, coming to stand a few feet away from them.

Yazoo looked up and let go of his baby brother as if he'd only now remembered the Inspector's presence.

Panting and still giggling, Kadaj stood up from the defensive crouch he'd fallen into while trying to escape Yazoo's teasing hands.

"Inspector Valentine." Yazoo cocked his head, briefly shaking the offered hand, his other protectively resting on Kadaj's shoulder. "To what do we owe the honour of this visit?"

"I have just a few more questions," Vincent informed him, letting go of the youth's hand and not failing to notice his green orbs briefly flicking to the papers he held in his gloved hand.

Then those scrutinizing eyes were back on his face as Yazoo asked with slight wonder, "Excuse my asking this, but didn't you actually agree to first contact us before you interrogate my brothers?"

Kadaj looked from his brother to the Inspector, his boyish face contorting into a stand-offish expression as he snuggled closer to Yazoo, clinging to his pants.

"I tried to speak to your father at least five times, but since I was unable to get a hold of him, I had to take other measures. I must continue with my investigation, you surely do understand that?"

Yazoo slowly, hesitantly nodded and then carefully asked, "What was it that you wanted to ask?"

"We found something in Mr. Tseng's apartment," Vincent smoothly replied, holding the paper out to Yazoo so that he could have a look. "Does that look familiar to you?"

The raven haired man observed with keen eyes as the silver haired youth leaned forward to scan the pages of the handwritten, copied homework of Kadaj they had found in the deceased teacher's desk. The author was still clinging to his brother's pants, looking up at the Inspector with hostility and wariness and seemed to shuffle even closer to Yazoo.

"Yes," the youth admitted, leaning back and briefly squeezing Kadaj's shoulder. "I recognize that. My little brother wrote it, and it was the main reason for the misunderstanding between Mr. Tseng and our family."

"I see," the Inspector said thoughtfully. "Misunderstanding…"

"Well yes, actually it was only that Kadaj misinterpreted things, but we are clear now and everything is fine. Isn't it Kadaj?" Yazoo looked down at his brother who nodded, eyes not leaving the tall man in the cloak. Kadaj didn't like him; he asked questions that could get him into trouble, and he didn't want that. He wanted Bernhard back, after all.

"Yeah," he peeped up, explaining in a precocious tone "Yazzy's ill and that's why he has to sleep with father because he needs his medicine. And he was funny because he's going through poop- putri-"

"Puberty," Vincent tried to help with a friendly smile, but all he got was a suspicious glare.

"We're all happy now. Real happy." Kadaj said importantly, lifting his chin and adding in an afterthought, as if that would wipe away all possibly remaining doubts, "I have a kitten now."

"That's nice," the Inspector said politely, trying to win the boy over with a lopsided smile. It had quite the contrary effect though, as Kadaj backed away, almost vanishing behind Yazoo's back and only one sceptical eye peeking from behind thin silver hair.

"May I see that kitten of yours?" Vincent pressed further, determined to get Kadaj talking to him—but all he got was a violent shake of Kadaj's small head.

"Please excuse him," Yazoo said lowly, and with an apologetic look "He's a bit shy."

"I see that," the man answered, not interrupting his staring contest with the smaller boy.

"Well, as I said, it was all an unfortunate misunderstanding, but we are fine now," Yazoo chirped, flashing his best chipper smile at the man.

"Hm," Vincent only made, finally averting his eyes. "Well then, I thank you for your time."

"You're welcome. We were glad we could help you, aren't we Kadaj?"

"Yeah," was the curt, unenthusiastic reply from somewhere behind him, the boy triumphantly continuing to stare the Inspector in the eye, though the man had his attention focused on Yazoo and was shaking his slender hand.

"Well then, I wish you a good evening." With that the Inspector walked past the two boys, observing from out of the corner of his eyes Yazoo's gaze hanging on the papers he still held in his hand.

He was already past them and on his way to the gate when Yazoo spoke up again. "Inspector!"

Vincent stopped, his back facing the two closely together standing figures that appeared almost black against the orange-pink, cloudless sky.

His hands tightened a bit around the papers, as his mind could just focus on one thing.

'_Come on, ask me for it… You want it, I know you do… I know you lied… Ask me…'_

There was another moment of heavy, tense silence.

"Drive carefully, please."

Slowly Vincent turned his head, only enough so that he could see Yazoo from out of the corner of his eyes.

His cool gaze was met with an equally indecipherable one, and after a curt nod the Inspector left the estate with the homework.

"What did he ask you?" Yazoo asked in Kadaj's direction, eyes still fixated on the vanishing silhouette of the policeman.

"Dunno. He asked if I knew about Mr. Tseng, and where Loz and I were on the day after we left the dorms. But I didn't tell him anything, I said that I wasn't allowed to talk to strangers," Kadaj explained eagerly as he looked up into his brother's face.

"Good," Yazoo answered, his eyes shifting down to where Kadaj was still clinging to his pants, and giving him a faint smile.

"Bernhard is alright, isn't he?" The question held evident concern.

"Sure," was the dismissive answer. "Now let's go inside, you need a bath."

*

This could become problematic, Yazoo assessed.

He had not anticipated Tseng having a copy of Kadaj's homework, which, in retrospect, was a rather blunt miscalculation. Now, with Vincent finding it, things could become complicated. It wasn't that the Inspector had any proof of Tseng's death not being a natural one or anything. Maybe he became more suspicious, but it was nothing that couldn't be explained away. And Yazoo had already told him about the accusations; if anything this homework only underpinned his statement.

It was more the fact that Sephiroth didn't know about the paper that could become troublesome, if Vincent chose to confront him with it. Until now the general had no idea what exactly had caused their teacher's suspicions in the first place, and Yazoo was prone to leave this unchanged. It would just mean more stress for him than was necessary.

They needed to get Kadaj's paper back, but he couldn't just ask the policeman to give it to him. He had been tempted to do so this evening, if only he hadn't decided in the last moment that in Vincent's opinion it would prove that something was wrong with them. Sephiroth had been right, this man was more of a nuisance than Yazoo had thought, albeit he was so in an… intriguing way.

Anyway, he needed to find a solution and fast, or—

"Yazzy?"

The teenager blinked, and looked down to where the voice had come from.

Kadaj was sitting in the steaming, big tub, covered with foam from the shampoo Yazoo had been massaging into his hair before he had spaced out.

The boy was frowning up at him in a slightly worried manner, but Yazoo just gave him a thin smile and continued to wash his hair.

"You spaced out again," came the half accusing, half amused statement as Kadaj reached out for the rubber duck and drowned it with his foot.

"It seems I did," Yazoo affirmed calmly, rubbing the shampoo deeper into his brother's muddy hair. Just how had he managed to get half the garden in there? "Close your eyes please, you won't want the foam get in, do you?"

"Nah." Kadaj shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, trying to sit still. It didn't last very long though, since he opened one eye and looked up at his brother again.

"Are we in trouble now?"

Yazoo remained silent for a moment, ceasing his movements, but then he sighed and continued, replying, "I don't know. I didn't tell father about your homework because I thought we could settle the problem ourselves. He will be very disappointed I guess."

This was a blatant understatement, and Yazoo knew that Kadaj was aware of the implication it had.

Disappointed, angry Sephiroth = no Bernhard for Kadaj.

Eyes going wide, the boy wrapped his arms around his knees, biting his lip. "What are we doing now?"

"Well, there are two possibilities," Yazoo pondered, looking down at his brother with a calculating gleam in his green eyes. "Either you tell Sephiroth about it before Inspector Valentine does…or we somehow manage to make him refrain from showing him your homework at all…Personally I prefer the first option; I think it is better if there aren't any secrets between us anymore."

"Uh-hun," was the unconvinced reply from below, Kadaj looking anything but happy with that suggestion.

The older just tilted his head, a small smile forming on his lips as he finished washing the boy's hair.

*

Vincent Valentine climbed the stairs in the dark hallway, already a few minutes late for his appointment, when his cell phone buzzed off in his pocket.

Within mere seconds the item was professionally held against his ear, his deep, calm voice announcing, "Inspector Valentine."

"_Uhm…Hi._" Was the hesitant reply, making the man's eyes move towards the cell.

"Who am I talking to?"

"_This… this is Kadaj_."There was a pause in which Vincent recovered from his surprise, slowing his movements. "_You know, you came to our house today…_"

"Yes, I remember," the man answered, voice becoming softer. After a quick look at his watch he stopped entirely, leaning against the staircase with his feet crossed. Now this was unexpected…After their encounter earlier he had been pretty certain that he would never hear from the boy again if he didn't force it. "How can I help you Kadaj?"

"_Well…_" He could almost see the child fidgeting at the other end of the line, his voice sounding small and nervous and nothing like the hostile, cocky rascal he had met.

"Actually… I dunno…"

A gloved hand moving to his temple, the Inspector looked to the ground, inwardly groaning. He was no good with children, really…

"Do you want to tell me something?"

"_Well, yeah…kinda…_" was the reluctant reply, immediately followed by an almost offended, "_But only if you promise to not tell anyone!_"

Vincent quirked an eyebrow at that. "I will try. Tell me."

"No! First you must promise!"

Flinching at the indignant, energetic shout, he held the phone a little away from his ear, but then just sighed in resignation. This case was already putting him on edge; he had nothing in hands apart from the feeling in his gut that something was extremely fishy about it. Whatever information he could get, it was better than nothing.

"Very well then. I promise."

There was a relieved sigh from the other side, and then the boy spoke up again, hesitantly saying, "_I wanted to ask if maybe…you could not tell my father about the… the homework…?_"

Ears perking up at that, Vincent briefly glanced to one of the apartment doors, thinking he had heard a sound, but saying into the phone, "Why should I not tell him?"

"Cos… cos, I didn't tell him that I wrote it and I think he would be very disappointed if he knew that I wrote such bad things about him… I-I feel ashamed…"

Vincent narrowed his eyes at that, saying slowly "I see."

"_You know, I really didn't mean it like that, I mean, I did, back then, but now everything's alright you know, and I don't hate him anymore_," Kadaj hurried to assure, his breath coming out in little rushes. "_I have a kitten now_," he added again, in that important manner, as if this would really explain everything.

Rubbing his temple, the Inspector's brain worked flat out of what to make of this. Kadaj sounded…scared. His half-whispered speech was clearly indicating stress and an underlying tone of desperation. Did children usually get so frightened about such a thing? Considering their special situation it wasn't that strange…The kitten…

Abruptly looking up with sharp eyes, Vincent's grip tightened around the phone as he spoke in a grave tone, "Kadaj, I will fullfill your wish, but there is something you have to do for me in return. It is nothing bad, you just have to answer me one question, truthfully, alright?"

There was another pause, longer this time and the Inspector was about to ask if the boy was still there when the reluctant, wary reply came "_…Okay._"

"Great," Vincent said in a friendly manner, trying to sound trustworthy. It was utterly important that Kadaj answered this question as relaxed as he could be, otherwise he would have trouble hearing if the boy was lying or not.

"Is your brother, Yazoo, with you right now?"

"_No_," was the instant reply, whispered again "_He doesn't know I'm calling, I took his cell and your number from his desk_…" There was another pause and then Kadaj asked in a weak, worried voice, "_I don't have to go to prison for stealing now, do I_?"

Vincent almost smiled as he answered, "No, of course not. Just make sure you give it back."

"Okay. So… you won't tell him now, will you?"

The Inspector sighed again, taking another look at his watch and then saying in a slightly resigned tone, "No, I will not tell him."

"_Great_!" the voice beamed with relief, but then immediately lowered again to a conspiratorial whisper. "_Great. Okay, I have to go now, Yazzy's almost done bathing…Bye_!"

"Goodbye," the raven haired man said mechanically, but the line was already dead. Shaking his head he put the phone away and took the last steps towards his destination.

*

"Did something happen?"

Yazoo arched a brow when he emerged from the bathroom in a fluffy robe and saw Kadaj standing by his desk, sporting a huge grin.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, bouncing on his heels. "I solved the matter! Inspector Valentine promised to not show the gene—_father_ my homework!"

Yazoo gave a frown at that, pretending to be surprised and a bit displeased. "Are you sure? Maybe it's better if we still tell fa—"

"He promised!" Kadaj interrupted impatiently, pushing some offending hair out of his face. "He really won't tell him, I know it!"

Sighing in defeat, Yazoo briefly stroked the boy's head as he walked up to the wardrobe. "Alright, if you say so, I believe you."

The smile grew even wider and a proud flush spread over the boy's cheeks.

"Why don't you get some cake? I believe there is still some in the fridge," he offered, and was rewarded with an enthusiastic nod as Kadaj rushed out of the room in high spirits.

Averting his eyes, the older vanished behind the door, long fingers searching for something to wear. This had gone smoothly, and just in time…

He had no doubt that Valentine would keep his promise to Kadaj. The good thing with his brother was that he, unlike Yazoo, was innocent and that people could feel it, could believe it. But Kadaj wasn't a good liar, which had been the reason why Yazoo just couldn't tell him to call Valentine. He had to do it of his own accord, and Yazoo just had to push him into the right direction.

Usually Yazoo had no problem deceiving people himself, but he just had the instinct that Vincent may not be that easily fooled. He worked with criminals on a daily basis, he naturally was more wary than other people. Which was, in fact, exciting in a sense…

"What is my kitten thinking about?"

Suddenly two arms wrapped around his slender body from behind, and the cool, silky hair of his father brushed against his cheek as the man purred into his ear. He seemed to be in a distinctly better mood if the hardness pressing against Yazoo's back was any indication.

"Not that obnoxious redhead, I hope?" It was said in a friendly, almost ironic manner, but Yazoo didn't fail to notice the underlying, frosty tone.

Tilting his head for Sephiroth to move his lips along his neck and letting the man untie the ribbon that held his robe together, the youth smirked, drawling in a similar manner, "No more than you think of that blonde lapdog of yours."

"Hm." He could feel the general's lips twitch into a smirk against his skin and the robe falling open as the knot was undone.

"I might have certain needs, but I am not that desperate," the general informed him, his breath ghosting over the youth's skin, suddenly drawing him nearer to his hard body and moving against him gracefully.

"Hn, he seemed rather eager to satisfy your…_needs_," Yazoo smirked, leaning against the man and not protesting at the hands wandering up his legs. Sephiroth didn't seem very patient today, which really was not that surprising. It had been a while since they had been together, alone. Yazoo briefly wondered if Sephiroth had locked the door. The last thing they needed was one of his brothers—or even worse, _Fair_—bolting into the room while they were going at it.

"Of course he is," the general snorted, almost derisive, pressing himself harder against the slender body in front of him. "You should have noticed that _everyone_ is there just to please me…"

"Hn," Yazoo affirmed, lids dropping to half-mast as he felt his father's movements becoming more forceful and sharp teeth burying into his flesh.

"That was very impressive indeed," he pondered, adding in a hissing voice when Sephiroth grabbed his hips with rough hands, "Maybe I should rethink my choice of career…The army seems to offer promising occupatio-"

"You will not join the army," Sephiroth informed him flatly, suddenly stiffening and stopping his movements.

Narrowing his eyes, Yazoo turned his head in confusion and licked his lips. His father looked down at him with fathomless eyes, face blank and hard.

Summoning a small, appeasing smile the silver haired youth sensually moved against him, purring, "What? You don't think I would make a good secretary?"

But to his utter confusion the man's desire seemed to have vanished, because there was nothing hard pressing against him any longer.

"No, I do not think so," Sephiroth said in a low, tight manner, bordering on a snarl. "I do not want to hear anymore of that, my decision is final!"

With that he stepped away from his child, ordering curtly, "Get dressed. And stay away from that redhead."

And then he was gone, the sound of the door falling shut echoing through the big room.

TBC

* * *

Chapters are becoming longer and longer...^^

**Valitiel: **Oh yes, Reno´s no one to mince matters, he says what he thinks XD Well, he and Rude are still friends, but you´re right, they are not as close as they are in AC...

**sareyva:** Haha, Sephiroth is the king of shameless propaganda -.- And he probably said this with a straight face.... Reno is a very clever guy (otherwise he wouldn´t be able to go to that elite school)! He uses his brain to question the obvious and takes deeper look. Hehe, you´re shocked but not surprised? Cool^^ Yazoo is just as nasty as ever, it´s probably a reflex...

**oztan:** Yay, I´m glad you liked it! I was a bit worried it would be boring^^ This was exactly what I wanted to show: how some of them do not question things, but are impressed by superficial values if the right buttons are pushed.

**purefoysgirl:** Oh yes, Reno is sceptical and questions things, maybe also because his past. He certainly wasn´t spoiled. You are right: if Reno didn´t care he wouldn´t have said anything. Hehe, and I doubt that anyone roots for Sephiroth in this one - I´d be surprised... I´m glad you still like it and thank you so much for the support!

**Xyleel:** Jaha, der Yazoo entschuldigt sich^^ Will sich keine unnötigen Feinde machen, der will seine Ruhe. Und es scheint etwas zu kriseln zwischen Sephiroth und Yazoo, und Yazzy hat keinen Plan warum XD Aber es wird noch rauskommen wieso warum und weshalb :) Und als ob ich Kadaj vergessen könnte, der is doch zu süß! Bernhard ist nicht vergessen, da kommt noch was...

**Thank you everyone for reviewing!**

**Have a nice weekend^^**


	23. Chapter 23

**Thanks to purefoysgirl for being such a wonderful beta!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

23

"Have a seat please."

Vincent Valentine accepted the offer with a slight nod, sitting down in one of the big, black leather chairs.

"I will just quickly make some coffee," his host offered, and Vincent absently nodded again. His keen eyes wandered over the small, elegant glass table and the couch in front of him, over the big desk to his left and the high window behind it that was splattered with raindrops. There were some abstract paintings hanging on the pastel walls and some big flower pots with palms that were supposed to make the clients feel less anxious. High mahogany shelves flanked one wall, stuffed with all kinds of books about cognition and therapy, as well as depth psychology.

The door opened again and the psychologist entered the room, carefully carrying a tray with a carafe of steaming black coffee and two full mugs. He set it on the table and took a seat opposite the Inspector, shovelling such large amounts of sugar into his cup that Vincent arched an eyebrow in amusement.

"So, did you make any progress?"

A sigh flooded between them and then the man said, "Well, I am not sure yet. It has only been a day since you made me infiltrate that school."

Reeve sighed again and guided the cup to his mouth, taking a large sip.

Vincent leaned forward, taking his own cup but leaving the sugar untouched.

"Really, I always thought having to work with nervous wrecks and neurosis-laden egomaniacs was strenuous, but it all seems to pale against a class of 20 pubescent elite kiddos…"

"I am sorry," the Inspector offered, watching the steam curling into the air in lazy swirls, but Reeve just dismissed it with a flick of his wrist.

"It is alright, I probably will get used to it."

The Inspector sipped at his coffee, decided that it was to his liking, and leaned back in the chair, expectantly looking at his friend.

"What did you find out?"

"Well," the therapist said, leaning back as well and crossing his legs "I found out that it is extraordinarily difficult to get my hands on any documents about their data. It is all highly protected."

Vincent nodded again, a morose look gracing his fair features. He wasn't surprised by that, even he hadn't been able to get access to that information. Sephiroth had gone to great lengths to have the files labelled a matter of 'national security'.

"What was your first impression of them?"

"Hm, I did not have the chance to meet the youngest, Kadaj I think it was, but I was able get a first look at Loz and Yazoo."

"And?" the inspector queried, eyebrow arched as he sat aside his cup and brought out his notebook and a pen.

"It is only a first impression, really, but the both of them strike me as being the complete opposite of each other."

That made the raven haired man look up. "In what way?"

"You could say," Reeve started to explain, standing from the sofa and starting to slowly pace the room, "That Loz is a rather emotional, earnest young man. He is affiliated with one of the young woman in his class, Tifa Lockhart, and he seems to be protective of her. Nothing out of the ordinary I'd say, but of course that is only a first impression. Also he seems to be dependant on his younger brother, which is a bit unusual, but I cannot draw any conclusions from that yet."

"I see. What about the other one?"

"Yazoo is quiet, polite and rational, I believe," the fake teacher said slowly, looking thoughtful. "He seems to have a strange relationship to one of his fellow students, but I could not detect anything too unusual. I'd say he is harmless, as far as I got to know him, that is."

Vincent kept quiet at that, thoughtfully looking at his notes. Reeve stopped pacing and with a small smile asked, "You seem disappointed?"

Vincent just shook his head a little. "No, it is nothing. I am alright."

Reeve gave an ironic frown, crossing his arms, and the raven haired man sighed, rubbing his temple. "There is no deceiving the genius profiler Reeve Tuesti, is there?" It held a sarcastic note, receiving only a small smile, but the Inspector muttered nonetheless,

"It is just a hunch."

"A hunch?" The psychologist repeated, unfolding his arms and inclining his head in question.

Vincent shook his head again, reaching for his cup. After a moment of hesitation, he took a small sip and said, "It is the eyes."

"The…eyes?" Reeve asked with fascination, coming back to the couch and sitting down, hands intertwined on his knees as he leaned forward. One reason why he had given in to Vincent's request was his interest in the man and his abilities itself. He had an extraordinary sharp mind, and sometimes it went even beyond that…

"Never mind," the Inspector said instead of explaining himself and suddenly stood up. "I've certainly stolen enough of your time for today."

Reeve just dismissed it, standing as well and guiding his guest to the door of his office,

"I told you it is alright. I am glad to be able to help make the world a better place." He winked at the man with a mischievous smile, but all he got was a humourless blink. Inwardly sighing, he held open the door, shaking the man's hand.

Before Vincent went down the corridor he stopped again, looking over his shoulder at the therapist standing in the doorframe.

"Just don't let your guard down." He paused, and then added in a fathomless manner before vanishing behind a corner, "And remember: It's usually the quiet ones."

*

"Where is father?" Yazoo asked. When he had come to the dining hall he had found it empty, but there had been sounds from the kitchen and when he entered he found Kadaj sitting on Zack's lap, stuffing his face with cake.

Loz was sitting opposite the two, having a rather animated conversation with the soldier who was back to his casual clothing.

"Oh, hey Yazzy!" Kadaj swirled his head around, grinning and waving, but then was too busy holding the amounts of cake in his mouth to make a proper explanation.

Loz took over, turning around and gesturing for him to come to the table, his eyes gleaming and a happy expression on his face as he said, "C'mere Yaz, we're talking!"

Zack adjusted the boy on his leg and invitingly grinned at the blank faced youth, saying, "Sephiroth said he's busy and won't come down, so we're on our own tonight."

"…I see," Yazoo answered slowly, stiffly standing at his spot until he seemed to came out of his rigid state and turned in a fluid motion, saying easily, "Well, I guess I will make something to eat then."

"Ah, nononono, stop it!" Zack suddenly exclaimed, popping up from his seat and setting Kadaj down, hurrying over to Yazoo. He grabbed the stunned youth by the shoulders and shoved him towards the table, explaining with a huge grin and sparkling eyes, "You gotta relax! We'll just order something and have fun, right?"

He winked at Kadaj who just grinned back, pounding his little fist in the air and shouting "Right! I wanna pizza!"

Before Yazoo could free himself from the unwelcome touch of the soldier he was already pressed down on a seat and a plate with chocolate cake was shoved before him. Before he could mechanically protest that cake was no sufficient substitute for dinner his oldest brother gave him a good-natured frown, telling him to take it easy.

"Ah, pizza is it?" Zack asked into the kitchen with an expectant look at the other two. Loz seemed to think about it for a moment, shooting his youngest brother a brief look. Kadaj had narrowed his eyes at him and stuck out his bottom lip, daring him to defy his decision. Inwardly sighing, the oldest thought that Kadaj was still holding a grudge against him. Actually he didn't feel like pizza, but then he just gave in with a shrug. He was in high spirits because of Tifa anyway, so it didn't really matter.

Yazoo just blinked at the tall man that seemed more like a big kid than a dangerous, highly trained soldier now.

Since he didn't protest, Zack took his silence as consent and decided with a sunny, conspiratorial grin at Kadaj, "Pizza it is then!"

They gave each other a high five, making Yazoo briefly wonder what kind of mayhem he had stepped into here. He actually had just wanted to get something to eat after Sephiroth had ditched him so abruptly, and now he was trapped here with three hyperactive, hysterical brats…

Zack was just sheepishly scratching the back of his head, throwing Yazoo a help-seeking look as he admitted, "Well, we'd just need the number from a pizza service or something."

The youth calmly wondered why Zack would think that _he_ would possess something so utterly trivial (as if he could just call a _pizza_ when Sephiroth got hungry!), but then he just stood from the seat, saying "I will see that I get a phone number." Anything to leave that mad room!

"Thank you!" Zack called after him and then whirled around to Kadaj. "Who wants to get a piggy back ride?"

Half an hour later their pizzas got delivered and Zack carried them into the kitchen, barely watching over the carton as he opened the door with his foot. A hot, delicious smell filled the room and Kadaj eagerly and impatiently shoved away the silver cutlery and expensive porcelain that decorated the table to make place.

"It's been sooo long since we had pizza!" he breathed with a flushed face, almost wrenching the food out of the soldier's hands, who just smiled after him.

"Okay, let's see," the boy muttered, pushing his annoying hair out of his face and narrowing his eyes. He felt somehow important, rationing the food for everyone. It was a great responsibility, he had to make sure that everybody got what he wanted, so they wouldn't suffer from hunger.

"Right, that's four cheese, pepperoni, sausage and black olive." Sniffing them, he handed them over to Loz, Zack and Yazoo and then finally got down to his own pizza. It felt nice to actually sit around the kitchen table, all of them together like a family again, a _happy_ family.

Biting into his slice of four cheese pizza he sneakily watched Zack rubbing his hands in excitement before opening his mouth wide and taking a big bite of his pepperoni. Loz was hungrily hanging over his carton, ripping at his sausage pizza. Yazoo eyed his black olive with apparent dislike, but at least reached for his fork and the knife.

"So," Zack spoke up, leaning back and nibbling at his slice, "Did you like your trip to the facility today?" He expectantly looked at the two older boys with genuine curiosity, and Loz immediately blurted out, "Yeah, the tanks were so cool!" Then he shut his mouth, looking to the side, cleared his throat and added, contritely, "Sorry, the… uniforms were cool too…"

The soldier laughed out loud at that, a hearty, light sound, as he waved his hands in front of him. "No no, it's alright, I know they're kinda boring, haha!" He winked at the older youth, who relaxed, red cheeks paling again.

"Uhgn, Yazoo…" the soldier gulped, finishing his slice and watching the long haired brother as he looked up from his carefully cut pizza. "That redhead's been a friend of yours?"

Yazoo inclined his head a little, tempted to deny it but then he felt that he really didn't want to explain their complicated relationship (which wouldn't have been complicated at all, if Yazoo would have had his way, because it would simply have been nonexistent). So he just gave a slight shrug and a neutral "Hn".

"That's great!" Zack exclaimed, and slapped the youth on the back in a friendly manner. "He seems like a clever guy! I'm happy you made a friend, Yaz, friends are the greatest thing ever and everyone should at least have one best buddy to share everything with! You know, go through the good and the bad together…"

His eyes were sparkling with enthusiasm, and so he didn't notice the ice cold look he received from one unnerved silver haired youth.

Kadaj was immediately hooked, asking with big eyes, "I'm your friend, right?"

The soldier was a bit startled for a moment, but then a huge grin spread over his sunny face and he ruffled the boy's hair, saying, "Course you are!"

There was a self-satisfied smile on Kadaj's lips as he straightened a bit and asked curiously, "Am I your _bestest_ friend?"

"Hm," Zack looked thoughtful for a moment, tapping his index finger at his chin, and then smiled warmly down at the boy, saying softly, "How about you're my second bestest friend?"

Kadaj looked miffed at that though, pouting and crossing his little arms in an offended manner.

"Why can't I be your bestest friend?"

"You can be _my_ bestest friend," Loz cut in grumpily, with an underlying shy tone, but he was just ignored.

"Why not?" Kadaj demanded to know again.

"Ah," Zack sighed, shrugging and stroking the boy's head with an apologetic smile. "I guess the first place is already taken."

"Oh yeah? Who is it?" the youngest asked briskly, eyes narrowed and lip stuck out even further.

Zack laughed at that, finding the boy's huffing adorable, and answered with another wink,

"Your dad."

The room was incredibly silent all of a sudden, three pairs of emerald eyes piercing the unfazed soldier, who just laughed at their dumbfounded faces.

"Haha, don't look at me like that, he's a really cool guy, I tell you!"

"Sephiroth?!" Loz asked with obvious disbelieve, eyes wide. He felt like someone had just told him that the planet was actually a plate.

"Sure," Zack smiled, and then shifted on his seat, reaching for his back pocket, "Here I'll show you…"

He fumbled with his wallet, explaining, "We went to the academy together. He's a bit older than me, and on my first day I was just hopelessly lost. He picked me up in one of the closets—don't ask—and showed me the way to my classes. I remember him saying something about rethinking my choice of career, with that sense of direction of mine." He chuckled at the memory and got some old photographs out, holding them towards the curious boys.

All three of them leaned forward, looking at the coloured picture with amazement and slight disbelief.

It showed Zack grinning into the camera, giving the victory sign. In the background was a large building, probably the academy, and beside him stood a tall man with long silver hair. He had his arms crossed and looked into the camera as well with a faint smile. The dark shadows under his eyes and the ever-present, stressed, and steely look were absent. There were two other young men as well, one with black hair who looked down at Zack with an almost parental, patronizing smile. The fourth man had reddish hair and wore a long red coat. He was reading a book, looking distracted, but all in all the lot of them looked happy, as if they just had fun on a sunny afternoon.

"Whoa," Kadaj breathed, almost bumping his little nose against the picture. "That's Sephiroth…"

"Yeah," Zack smiled dreamily, "It really was a fun back then. It was harsh sometimes, but we had the time of our life! We were always there for each other, helping each other out…I remember one time when we sneaked out to see the premier of Loveless and our superior caught us in the hallway on the way back. Seph was seriously telling him with a straight face that we just had tested the security system and that he found it seriously lacking and that he would go to the guys superior now to inform him about the incompetence of his troop. Man, that fellow was almost pissing his pants!"

He sported a big grin at the memory.

"He really did?" the youngest asked with big eyes, chewing his lip.

"Yeah, he _really_ did," the man smiled, adding, "You know, Seph was some kind of genius kid, always on top of everything, so people had a lot of respect for him, even his superiors. And he was so calm and accurate that no one expected him to do this stuff, you see. But under that Seph was a brilliantly witty, neat guy with the strongest sense of justice I ever met. Really," he laughed again, more to himself, "We wanted to make the world a better place, and if someone could do that it's probably him."

Loz and Kadaj exchanged a quick, confused look, entirely unaware that they did. This was so totally different from the man _they_ knew! But in the picture the general looked relaxed, peaceful, and just gave off the air that Zack had described him as…He appeared calm and superior, but if one took a closer look one could see a canny young man reflected in his ironic sparkling eyes.

"He's not like that now…" Loz muttered, in thought, but immediately shut his mouth when he noticed his slip up.

"Yeah, I noticed that," was the sigh from the soldier. "I guess he's stressed, he has a great responsibility and that can change people over time…But I can still see the guy from before in there, someone probably just needs to wake him up."

"Probably," Yazoo remarked dryly with a disparaging sidelong glance at the guest.

"Who are the other two?" Kadaj asked, brushing with his thumb over the picture.

"Oh, that's Angeal Hewley," Zack explained, drawing the boy onto his lap again with a sigh and pointing at the dark haired man. "He was like an older brother. I learned a lot from him, but he always called me 'puppy'. That was kinda embarrassing…" He scratched the back of his head, looking _still _abashed, even though the picture must have been at least 7 years old.

"And that's Genesis Rhapsodos." He put his fingertip on the man with the book, explaining "He was like the artistic, poetic one of us, but I never got what he was talking about at all."

Loz's eyes shifted over to the two men again as he asked with slight wonder, "Where are they now? I never heard the general talking about them…" He frowned. Well, he hadn't heard Sephiroth talking about Zack either, or anything else about his private life at that. Even though they were now part of his private life, kinda…

At that Zack went quiet, the smile fading and a sad expression creeping in his eyes as he pulled the photo closer.

"They died in the war."

"Oh…" Kadaj said, looking up at his new second bestest friend in sympathy. "I'm sorry. Our mom died too, that's bad."

Loz gave a curt nod, forcing the lump that was building up in his throat down.

"Yes, it is," Zack said quietly, pulling Kadaj a little closer into the half hug and giving Loz a squeeze on the shoulder. He glanced up to Yazoo, but the youth just continued to look at the photo with a withdrawn, somewhat aloof expression.

"You okay?" the soldier asked softly, drawing the boy out of his reverie.

"Yes, I am fine," Yazoo just dismissed in a distant manner and Zack decided to not push him. Everyone had their own ways of grieving…

"Hey, how about we watch that movie that's on TV tonight? It's not that late, and it's really good!"

Kadaj's head jerked up at that, the sad memories forgotten, just as Zack had intended.

"Oh yeah, I'm not tired, can we please?" he threw his middle brother a pleading look, wobbling on Zack's knee.

Yazoo just shrugged, unaffected. "Do as you please. I am off to learning anywa-"

"Ah, you're watching with us, c'mon!" Zack just laughed it away, putting a giggling Kadaj under his arm and catching the reluctant youth's arm to more or less drag him behind.

Loz hurriedly stuffed the rest of his uneaten pizza in his mouth and ran after them, the photo remaining on the table forgotten.

TBC

* * *

**Heh, so Reeve is an 'undercover agent' for Vincent, Sephiroth resembled something human once and information about the boys past are revealed (well, a little). What a productive chapter^^**

**Valitiel:** Yes, Yazoo is such a liar... We´ll see if the guilt catches up to him some day^^ Oh and you could interprete Sephiroth´s behaviour as somewhat fatherly, he probably thinks Reno is a bad influence on Yazoo. But then he could simply be protective of his 'property', so to speak...

**sareyva:** Hehe, no, I doubt that they will get rid of Vincent anytime soon. He already got his teeth into the case and he smells something fishy about it. And yes, we are back to where 'Abuse' stopped, somewhat. They just can´t get away from this thing... Yazoo is indeed fascinated with Vincent, we´ll have to see to what it will lead;)

**purefoysgirl:** I want to rescue Kadaj as well... But Zack´s here now, he will keep an eye on things as good as he can. Yazoo´s actions were better for him and his brothers though, Sephiroth´d have probably gone mad if he had found out (if he can go even madder, that is...). And Sephiroth probably thinks that Reno is not the best influence for Yazoo, so he wants him to stay away from him. Question is if he will get his will. Vincent noticed something, but so far he doesn´t have any proof. Maybe that´ll change^^

**oztan:** Hah! You will see if Cloud makes a move on Sephiroth and how Sephiroth would react, not so far away in the future. I think Cloud has feelings different from simple adoration and respect for the General... And we will see why Sephiroth didn´t allow Yazoo to join the army later :)

**Aiko Celeste:** Yes, I think Vincent makes them aware that their actions always have consequences! It´s not just forgotten and they could get into real trouble should Vincent find any evidence that Tseng didn´t die of a natural death...

**Thanks for the feedback everyone!**

**Review please?**


	24. Chapter 24

**This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous ones, but the next one will be longer again, I promise! Many thanks to purefoysgirl for the wonderful betaing!**

* * *

24

Yawning, Zack swayed from his bed, eyes still half-closed, and staggered through the dark room towards the door. On his way down to the kitchen he cursed at an offending object that had decided to sit in his sleep-induced way down, but eventually he made it more or less unscathed to his destiny. When he almost stumbled into the black figure standing at the table he finally jerked awake with a small, indignant yell, holding his racing heart.

"Good Gods, Sephiroth!"

He rubbed his tired eyes, ignoring the cool gaze that assessed him. Since his eyes had adjusted to the dark now he refrained from pushing the light switch and instead scratched his sleepy, dishevelled head, slurring, "You got hungry too?"

He grabbed for one of the cartons, taking a slice of cold pizza and stuffing it into his mouth. He politely held the food into the general's direction, but he didn't even move, so the soldier just shrugged and put it down on the table, chewing.

His tired gaze strayed over the table until it came to linger beside the other man's hand, which was resting beside a certain photo he had forgotten to put back earlier.

"Oh," Zack said, gulping and looking back at the rigid form of his 'friend'. The man's impressive figure was carried with just the same amount of sophistication and accuracy as always, held high and straight against the window and the moon coming out from behind a cloud.

He seemed somewhat stiff now, however.

Sighing, Zack took the photo and looked at it again, smiling a little. "You remember when this was taken? Man, it was hot that day! I was sooo in for some ice-cream, but they wouldn't let us have anything…" He sighed again, sounding more sober this time. "That's right. The last time we were together and they wouldn't even let us have some strawberry vanilla rippled ice-cream…And the day after, they sent us on our missions and the next time we met it was only the two of us left."

He sank down on a chair, the photo between his legs. His eyes felt dry and his throat was raw, like always when he started to think about it…The two body bags with contents that had been beyond recognition. Genesis, who always had been famous with the ladies, reduced to a mass of teeth, crushed bones and rosy glibber that no one wanted to witness.

Emerald eyes watched him with fathomless scrutiny, and then an indifferent voice echoed through the too large room, "I do not have any use for such nugatory memories."

"Yeah, you're right," Zack sighed, putting the photo back on the table. "We're living in the here and now. You have three wonderful children that need your attention and your love now. I bet they'd be incredibly proud of you."

Sephiroth moved his head a little at that, staring down at the figure sitting hunched on the seat with in light blue pyjamas printed with yellow chocobos. Then he abruptly turned and strode out of the room, almost missing the hurriedly called after him, "'Night!"

*

"Alright, everyone here?" Zack exclaimed with a scrutinizing look at the three boys standing in the hallway with their backpacks and school uniforms, ready to go for another day full of algebra, biology and history.

Instead of a happy, cheerful "Yes," like he had expected, the soldier saw himself confronted with three overly tired looking faces. Kadaj wavered a bit. Loz even managed to nod somehow. They really didn't look good with the big shadows under their eyes and the even paler faces, especially apparent on Kadaj and Loz.

Frowning, Zack was about to comment on that, having a bit of a bad conscience for letting them watch that movie (even though it really hadn't been _that_ long!), but was interrupted when Sephiroth came from the salon with cup of coffee in hand and his black bag under his arm. He strode past them to go outside and get in the car, but then stopped.

Lifting his eyebrow at the boys he remarked to Yazoo, "You look pale," blatantly ignoring the fact that his other children looked even worse.

"Hn." Was the reply, the youth narrowing his eyes as if to focus them.

"I am fi-" and then he just swayed and keeled over.

Before he could hit the floor Sephiroth already had him. Setting his cup on the black stone tiles, he turned the youth around to have a look at his waxy face. Meanwhile, Zack was busy with the other two, since it seemed that Yazoo's breakdown had triggered similar desires within them. Holding a dizzy Kadaj in his lap he frowned with concern.

"They're hot..."

"My belly hurts," Kadaj whined, holding his stomach. He'd really tried to be a good boy and not say anything, but it was _agonizing_ now.

"Fever," Sephiroth assessed calmly, moving Yazoo so he could take him bridal style and carry him up the stairs. "He will stay at home today."

Zack just nodded, gathering Kadaj in his arms and asking Loz if he could walk himself.

"Yeah, might be better. I'll call the office that we won't come in today…Oh, and we need to inform the school. And you should call a doctor!"

The general stopped dead in his tracks, looking back over his shoulder at the soldier who held Loz on one hand and was carrying Kadaj on the other arm.

Yazoo, feeling his father stiffen, protested weakly from the man's arms, "It's alright, really. Probably just a little…food poisoning…from the…pizza."

He went paler and more sickly with every word, his lithe figure involuntarily trembling. The general looked back down into his sweaty face, coming to the conclusion that there was just no way around it, and with long strides walked up the stairs before Zack and the boys.

The soldier first put Loz in his room, telling him with a sympathetic look to change back into his pyjamas and go to bed and that he'd come to check on him after he had put Kadaj to bed. Then he carried the moaning little boy to his room, helping him out of his uniform and tucking him back under the white sheets.

"It hurts," the youngest piteously cried, rolling into a small ball and clutching his stomach.

"I'm sorry," the soldier said softly, his heart almost breaking as he stroked some sweaty hair away from the boy's heated forehead. "Try to bear with it a little bit, a doctor will be here soon, he'll give you something to make it better. Meanwhile Fritz'll watch over you." He smiled, snuggling the boy with the tail of the big snake plushy they had taken back from their trip to the zoo.

Kadaj sighed a bit, closing his eyes, and Zack straightened from the bed and went to see if Loz was alright. The youth was already in bed, head shoved deep in the pillows and his strong form hunched together.

"´m alright," he just quietly groaned over his shoulder as he felt Zack watching him from the door. "Just need sleep."

The soldier nodded. "Alright. The doctor will be here soon, you're doing great. Just call me when you need something, okay?"

He detected the slightest nod from the big bed and, sighing, he closed the door behind him.

With his phone against his ear, he slowly walked over to an elaborate antique mahogany cabinet, leaning with his back against it, legs crossed.

The cell rang for a few moments before it was answered.

"Strife."

"Hey spiky, this is Zack! I'm just calling to tell you that Seph and I won't be able to come in today, his kids got sick." _He_ probably wouldn't have to stay at home as well, but he had the feeling that Sephiroth and three sick, demanding and whining children didn't match that well…

"…_kids?" _was the slowly spoken, somewhat crestfallen reply.

"Yeah. He has three of them, nice boys. Didn't he tell you?" Zack frowned, taking an old looking, golden watch from the shelf and inspecting it with curious eyes.

_"…no."_

"Oh. Yeah well, now you know," the soldier exclaimed cheerfully, blissfully ignorant of the young man's distress and putting the clock back. "The doctor's not here yet, so I can't say if we'll need to stay away for longer, but I'll call you again…-Oh, and don't party too hard, or he'll notice." Zack lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, holding his hand before his mouth with a sneaky look around the corner, even though Yazoo's room was at the other end of the house. Then he grinned again, and with a "Bye," flipped the phone shut.

While he was on his way to the middle child's quarters he gave the boys' school a call, having to fend off an overly sympathetic and concerned principal.

Sighing, Zack eventually put the phone back in his pocket and entered the room.

Yazoo was already in bed, wearing black silken pyjamas that made him look even paler. Head resting on the pillows he dully looked over to the opening door and the smiling soldier, facial features not even twitching. He felt sick and he was in no mood to pretend being a nice guy right now.

Zack interpreted the lack of emotion as a sign of exhaustion and just went over to Sephiroth who stood with his back to the bed, just closing his cell and turning around.

"Kadaj and Loz are in bed, now." Zack informed him, one hand at his hip.

"Good," Sephiroth just said distractedly, sparing him a mere side glance and then going over to the bed and holding something into Yazoo's face. "Take that."

The boy obediently opened his mouth and let the thermometer dangle from his lips.

"Whoa, I didn't think about that," the soldier exclaimed with big eyes, impressed and scratching his head, laughing it off.

Sephiroth just shot him another cold look, drawling with a too sweet smile, "Well, you might want to catch up on that."

"Yeah," Zack smiled unfazed, not getting the innuendo to drag his ass out of the room and do something useful.

After another vexed look the general turned back to his sick child, snatching the thermometer out of his mouth and giving it a morose look.

"What is it?" someone suddenly breathed far too near against his ear as Zack curiously looked over his shoulder, chin almost resting against the man's back. But even with standing on his toes the raven haired young man didn't manage that and besides the general already stepped away, saying curtly, "Nothing life threatening."

"Oh great," Zack beamed, winking at Yazoo in a consoling manner.

The silver haired youth just rolled over and weakly hugged his stomach, wondering what else could happen today to make his life miserable.

TBC

* * *

**Heh, the boys are down with illness and Sephiroth is not pleased XD And on top of that Zack is getting on his nerves with his 'mothering'... Poor guy, ain´t he? ;)**

**Valitiel:** Oh does Vincent say ´Sorry´ so much? I didn´t notice... But thank you for pointing that out, I will keep an eye on that from now on! I bet he said some pretty poetic things, but I didn´t get much of it either. Furthermore I am not sure what this whole 'Loveless'-thing is at all... Can you enlighten me? *feels dumb*

**sareyva:** Yes, Reeve plays a double game, so there is some extra tension. Yazoo has to be careful now. Even though he gives off the impression of being harmless he cannot allow himself the slightest slip-up now, but he doesn´t even know that he gets observed... Hahaha, Yazoo in a trunk XD He´ll get fed twice a day and given a shower every two days and everyone will be happy. But I doubt Sephiroth would be happy with his pet being taken away... We will get to know what caused the change in Sephiroth soon, probably within the next three chapters (or so I hope. The plotline for this fic is getting epic and I have to see that I don´t get lost in unimportant side stories...)

**SHM´s Lover:** Oh wow, thank you for the wonderful compliments! I must say that I intentionally tried to make Sephiroth look as bad as he can, to draw out the sharp contrast to his former personality. In the FFVII series it was very similar: he stroke me to be a nice, charming character till he went crazy... Since Zack hasn´t been together with Sephiroth too long now he probably still clings to what he knows what Sephiroth once had been. But he is trying to 'wake him up', so to speak, and I believe if there is one person to be able to do so it would be Zack Fair. Just as you said: something probably must be triggered within them.

**whitelanc3r:** Hahaha, thank you^^ I indeed like playing with the mood a bit. Things never are like they seem to be at first sight, and I try to include that as much as I can to not make the story too one dimensional. I just had to include Yazoo´s love for guns :) We will see why Yazoo is banned from the military soon, I hope. And thank you so much for taking the time and leave so many reviews, I am glad you still like the story!!!

**purefoysgirl:** Heh, I thank you in every chapter, since you ARE an awesome beta, I learned so much from your corrections! At first I wanted a separate psychologist and teacher, but I was struggling with whom to choose for each job and then I just joined them. It´s much easier and spares me a bit of trouble introducing every character separately. I must say that my Zack got inspired from jen´s Zack, because I love him to bits XD It is pretty difficult to write a cheerful, carefree guy though. He´s good through and through and I am not, so I must rewrite almost all his original sentences because they are too biting and sarcastic *sighs* We will see why Sephiroth got the way he is now (and you´ll get to see even sooner. I already wrote that chapter, but I need to get the chapters inbetween still).

**oztan:** Your question caused me to include another sequence that wasn´t actually planned, because you are right of course: Yazoo most certainly would ask questions about it! Thank you for the suggestion! Zack has a pretty tough job balancing, he´s practically alone against Yazoo and Sephiroth, and those two aren´t exactly easy to deal with. If they snap, things could get ugly... But then it´s Zack we are talking about, he´s someone you just have to love XD

**Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing! Happy Easter!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey! It´s chapter 25 already again, even though I actually didn´t want to drag this story on for that many chapters and seeing as it is we are only half way through, I guess... But I recently came to make the chapters longer, so it might not be another 25 chapters ;)**

**As always I thank my wonderful beta purefoysgirl for the fabulous job she did correcting my messy english!**

**Enjoy!**

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25

Half an hour later the doorbell rang and since Zack was with the other two boys it left the General with no other choice but to answer the door himself. He greeted the doctor with a curt nod and led him straightforwardly to Yazoo's room, not being a person to waste his time with useless pleasantries.

"This is Doctor Hojo, he will have a look at you," Sephiroth informed his child, who had slowly uncurled to indifferently seize up the lank, bent-forward man in the white coat. As if he had sensed Yazoo's suspicion, only apparent in his stiff form that pressed deeper into the cushions, the General came to a halt next to the bed and with the ghost of a calming smile explained, "Doctor Hojo actually is a forensic pathologist."

That at least seemed to make Yazoo a little less cautious. Regardless of his career aspirations he had an aversion against strangers touching him – and not only because Sephiroth had claimed him and did not tolerate anyone else touching his property – and least of all he trusted doctors… From his studies he had learned how complex the human body was and what amateur, irreversible mistakes could be made, even by professionals. Especially by professionals.

Doctor Hojo stretched his rubbery lips into something akin to a smile and put his bag at the end of the bed, opening it with a snap.

"No worries, I doubt I have to cut you open," the man snickered in a high pitched, unpleasant tone and fumbled with a stethoscope.

Yazoo shot the General an aggravated look, not finding the man's peculiar humour amusing at all. Judging from the dismissive expression Sephiroth had summoned, he didn't either. Still he stood there, hands clasped behind his back, insinuating with a look that Yazoo should just bear with it. There was no one else he trusted enough to call who would keep the existence of his children a secret. Hojo was his personal attending physician for whatever came up.

Luckily the man was quick with his examination – even though his hands lingered a little bit longer on Yazoo's abdomen than would have been necessary, but a sharp, displeased look from the General made Hojo finish the procedure quickly.

Packing his instruments back into his bag, Hojo affirmed in that burring voice of his that it was a mild case of food poisoning indeed. He suspected the pizza they had had the day before but wouldn't say anything definite until he had a thorough analysis. With a darkly raised eyebrow, Sephiroth allowed him to take as much of the remaining food as he desired, and then begged the man over into a corner to quietly discuss something with clipped, serious words, his expression bleak.

Yazoo didn't get what they were talking about and, frankly, he didn't care. He buttoned his pyjamas again and obediently swallowed down the antibiotics the doctor had prescribed. According to Hojo he would need to stay in bed for a day, and the pain would subside soon enough with the medication, but it still was annoying.

He pulled the sheet closer to his chest and let his head fall back onto the pillows where it rolled to the side when Zack entered again, making Yazoo wonder at which point of time his room had become a public gathering place. Again he ignored the man's sympathetic look and the kind smile and watched with half closed eyes as he strolled over to Sephiroth and Hojo with bouncing steps to make his arrival apparent without having to vocally interrupt their muttered conversation.

Sephiroth didn't seem pleased as he noticed the 'inconspicuously' swaying figure of his inferior, but then he levelled his gaze back at the doctor, saying another few inaudible words and with the man nodding he finally deigned to acknowledge Zack's presence, his look cool and his arms crossed.

"So, what is it?" Zack asked the doctor, one elbow up in the air as he scratched his head and shifted his weight, looking concerned.

"Food poisoning," Hojo answered, going back and bending over the bag that was still resting on the bed. "Presumably caused by soiled pizza." He adjusted his glasses and shot the soldier a cynical, almost amused, look.

"Oh," Zack said, his face contorted into a mixture of embarrassment and apology. "It's nothing too serious, though, is it?" He quickly licked his lips and threw Sephiroth a look that resembled that of a boy who just had been caught with both hands in the cookie tin.

"No, it is not," Hojo said, heaving the bag from the mattress and making Zack step to the side as he walked towards the door. "Now show me the other two, my time is getting short."

"Oh yeah sure, of course," the soldier hastily said, and then hurried behind the man to show him to Kadaj's and Loz's room.

Sephiroth slowly unfolded his arms and came over to the bed, asking as he looked down at his child "You took your medicine?"

Yazoo gave a weak nod, earning himself a thin smile and a, "Good boy".

The youth didn't answer but rolled on his side again, facing the General, and quietly watched him with a long, suffering look.

"Aww, poor kitten," Sephiroth drawled with obvious amusement, adding in a sweet voice, "I might spare you some sympathy if this wasn't a classical case of, 'You did it to yourself'…"

He sat down at the edge of the bed, stroking the teen's head with that small, mocking smile still on his lips. Yazoo just moved his head a little, saving his breath on a comment since it more or less _had_ been his own fault. Still, his expression remained humourless as he involuntarily shivered under the blankets, not being able to decide if he felt freezing cold or meltingly hot.

Sephiroth graced him with another ironic look, and then he leaned back against the cushion covered headboard, casually moving one arm around his child and idly playing with the silken fabric of his pyjamas. Still looking down on the curled up, blank-faced figure, the General let a well calculated amount of time elapse before he spoke again in a low, and highly suggestive voice.

"You are lucky I am not a vindictive person," he marvelled, inclining his head and watching his long fingers slowly pull away the silken fabric from white skin. "I am willing to distract you from your…illness."

Yazoo blinked lazily at that, but scooted a littler closer because the cool fingers felt good on his burning skin. Besides, with that, he had come to a silent understanding with the General that the incident the day prior would be forgotten and not require any further consequences. Whatever it was that had upset Sephiroth, it was evened out with Yazoo's suffering.

Before the man's hand could go any further down, though, the door was unceremoniously pulled open again and Zack came in, whispering, "The doctor's gone—"

He stopped mid-sentence, and his tiptoeing movements came to a halt as well. He didn't know why but he felt like he had intruded on something, if the stiff figure and the surprised look from Sephiroth was any indication. Yazoo looked at him as well, through thin slits his eyelids left open, but Zack didn't like the coldness seeping out. It made a chill run down his spine and for a moment it felt like the world had shifted out of true.

Then it was gone as Sephiroth's features smoothed into his usual distant, condescending self. He had quickly assessed the situation and the ambiguous impression he and Yazoo made but come to the conclusion that offence was the best defence. If he tried to remove his hand now he would look even more suspicious, hence he slowly stroked over Yazoo's abdomen again, calmly daring Zack to say anything about it.

The General's movement seemed to trigger something inside the other soldier as well and he put the leg he still held in the air down and abandoned his attempt to tiptoe, seeing that Yazoo was awake anyway. The youth meanwhile had disinterestedly averted his eyes from the comical figure standing on one leg and looked straight forward again, letting his father handle the situation.

"What is it," the sonorous voice of the silver haired man sounded through the room, more of an order to state his business than a question.

"I just wanted to tell you that the doc's gone now and ask if you don't want to have a look on Loz and Kadaj…" Zack stopped at the end of the bed, looking a little lost and his blue eyes involuntarily getting dragged down to where Sephiroth unashamedly touched the boy at his rather private areas. Uncomfortably shifting and suddenly feeling a little sick, the black haired soldier put a hand at his hip and nodded at Yazoo's belly, all playfulness gone from his behaviour. "What are you doing there?"

His own voice held a good amount of tension and it wasn't a question either, it was a demand. Zack wasn't even conscious about it, but even if he had been he'd be certain that he had every right to ask.

"What?" Sephiroth feigned innocence, slowly arching a brow and holding the man's cool gaze for a moment, then his eyes travelled down to his hand in Yazoo's pants and he frowned in confusion. "Oh, that. The doctor said that a massage of the abdomen might ease the cramping…" He calmly looked back, continuing to 'massage'.

"Oh." Was the reply and then Zack was back to scratching his head and laughing at his own stupidity and for being so suspicious. "Yeah, that might be a good idea, I remember my older sis doing the same when she had, you know…women's special cramping. Maybe we should get some hotties, she always did that too, and it seemed to help…" he then suggested, still feeling a little awkward about the situation.

Sephiroth just gave a nod, withdrawing his hand and getting up. His distraction tactic had worked, but he was careful now and intent on getting Zack out of the room, so he said to Yazoo, "Get some rest," and then led the way out of the door.

The visits to the other two boys were short. Sephiroth just curtly asked them how they were feeling and both of them hurried to assure him that they were better already but needed to rest a bit. When they looked at Loz, Zack earnestly and worriedly suggested that Sephiroth may try his massaging thing, since the biggest was clearly in pain and the soldier thought that being practical and helpful far outweighed looking awkward.

Sephiroth looked petrified though, and tightly rejected the request, deferring to the healing effects of a hot-bag instead. After Zack had made sure that Kadaj was properly covered up and held Fritz in his arms, he closed the door and followed the General down the corridor.

"Where are you going?" he asked curiously, unaware of the unnerved, sidelong glance he received.

"I have work to do," Sephiroth answered coolly with the clear intent to get rid of him, as he marched towards his office. But apparently Zack was not very impressed, as he strolled beside the man with his fingers intertwined behind his head and looking thoughtful.

"Yeah, we should probably prepare the hotties and make something to eat for them."

"You just managed to poison them, wasn't that enough?"

Zack looked guilty at the spiteful comment and stopped for a moment, but within the next second he sprinted after the departing General and backwards jogged beside him to see his face.

"Sorry about that! I ate it too and I'm fine…But then my stomach maybe doesn't really work as a reference," he grinned sheepishly and rubbed over his muscular belly. "But they need to eat something, the doctor said so. How about we make some chicken soup and prepare the hotties together?" He eagerly beamed at the other man as if this was some kind of super exciting pathfinder task.

Sephiroth gave an exasperated growl and narrowed his eyes in aggravation but took the bend down to the kitchen nonetheless. The sooner he was done with this annoying business the better, even if it meant being trapped in one room with Fair for awhile.

"Great!" the soldier exclaimed with a broad grin, turning back from walking backwards and following the General down the stairs into the kitchen.

"I'm doing the soup and you can prepare the hotties, alright?" Zack suggested from below, already bent down and rummaging in one of the cupboards for a pot.

Sephiroth eyed him with icy antipathy, declaring smoothly, "I do not think so."

"Oh why no- _Ouch!"_ Wincing, Zack held the back of his head where a huge bruise would soon blossom, courtesy of his inability to keep himself reminded that spontaneously jerking up his head in a cupboard wasn't the brightest idea. Not deigning to even answer the actual question, the silver haired man grabbed a pot from the sink where it had been standing to dry off and placed it on the electric stove.

"Why don't you go search for some hot-bags?" he asked with a raised brow, knowing fully well that something like that did not exist in his household, but willing to try anything to get rid of him.

Zack still felt his bruised head with a wince, but then shrugged.

"Okay, fine with me…" And then he bent down to his cupboard again to search for the hot-bags. "Man, it's dark in here," was the muffled complaint from below, tempting the General to break his exposed neck with something heavy. Instead, he forced his attention away and filled the pot with water.

"Whoa, look what I found!" Zack suddenly exclaimed, emerging from the ground and holding something up in triumph. "A cook book!"

Upon the lack of enthusiastic squealing from his bestest friend, Zack just shrugged and started to flick through the book, leaning with crossed ankles beside the stove where Sephiroth was starting to heat the water.

"I bet there's a good recipe for chicken soup in here…"

Naturally the comment was ignored. Instead the General closed a cupboard with a little more force than would have been necessary and poured some instant chicken soup powder into the water.

"Ah, you're no fun!" the soldier pouted at the yellow sludge in the pot, watching a lump of powder explode on the surface. "Remember that one time, when everyone was down with the flu and you made that awesomely hot –what was it? Something foreign I guess, but man, the next day everyone was standing ramrod straight on the parade ground! It tasted so awful." He chuckled at the memory. "Angeal said it was probably so effective because the guys'd rather take 200 leaps around the compound than having to eat another bowl of that soup… I remember Gen liking it, though…" Another snicker followed, accompanied by a slight shake of the head and another flick of a page.

"Really, you should get yourself a woman, it'd be better for the boys, too. I just read that you topped the list of 'most wanted singles' again, I bet there are tons of girls out there that would love to become the wife of the great General…" Zack sighed, scanning the page and then turning it again.

"Weren't you supposed to search for hot-bags?" Sephiroth replied testily, grabbing a glass and filling it with whiskey he had taken from his stock hidden in one of the cupboards where the boys couldn't reach it.

"Oh, yeah!" the soldier admitted, laying the book aside, but frowning as he saw his friend with the glass in hand. "I don't think you should be drinking this early…"

The General just shot him a challenging look, downed the whole glass in one gulp without breaking eye contact with his inferior, and then sat it down on the counter. The soup started to lazily seethe, air bubbles bursting with small noises.

A phone suddenly went of in the silence, breaking their staring challenge when Sephiroth was forced to answer it. He flipped his cell open and turned around to leave the room for some privacy.

"I see," was all Zack got before his friend was gone, and with a sigh he crossed his arms and melancholically watched the cooking soup.

This wasn't going well at all. It was even worse than he had thought, but then he hadn't really been able to imagine that Sephiroth could have undergone _such_ a dramatic change!

Well, he hadn't seen him for 8 years now, but when he had gotten the assignment to watch him he had thought it was more or less a joke, the overly cautious concerns of a power addicted president. Rufus ShinRa wasn't known to be a politician who would let coincidence take a chance and it was also known that he loved the power he had come to acquire. The next elections were to come up soon, so it had been in a way understandable to Zack that Rufus would try to eliminate every possible threat.

He also understood why they would choose him to secretly spy on Sephiroth—he was the only friend left from the old days and there was no one else the General would let his guard down with… Zack had laughed at the agent who had stated the reason for Rufus concern though, namely that they feared a _coup d'état_, lead by the General.

Now Zack didn't find the whole situation funny at all.

Sephiroth had clearly changed and to his dismay he had to admit that he thought Sephiroth capable of pulling something like this. The troops were 100% behind and only loyal to him (and not to the government that paid them a ridiculous wage and threatened with even more retrenchments), despite his methods they worshipped him like a wargod; he was a national hero, a living legend…

So far Zack hadn't told them anything, not even about the boys (maybe _for_ the sake of Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz), but he wasn't sure how long he could hold on to it. It wasn't like he had any stalwart evidence, but the feeling in his guts (fueled by the dubious remarks and occasional hints on a worldview that wasn´t really compatible with their current system of a democracy from his bestest friend). Before he'd say anything to anyone he would try his utmost to get through to Sephiroth and change him back to how he was before, or…or he would find evidence.

"I must go for a while, something important came up," the General suddenly informed him from the door, making Zack force another happy-go-lucky expression onto his face and wave after him.

He really hoped he would get through to him first.

TBC

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**So, now they not only have to deal with Vincent suspecting the family hiding a deadly secret but Zack is also secretly spying on Sephiroth to find out if he is planing to try to overthrow the governement and take the power himself (you didn´t think I´d just introduce him for fun, did you? ;)). I´d say it´s getting pretty tight for the two...**

**Valitiel:** I finally understood the whole Loveless-thing after I did a 2 hour research for Genesis on another fic I write. But man, this doesn´t sound very plausible all the time -_- Heh, of course Zack is useful, very much so! Okay, maybe he didn´t prepare hot-bags, and he didn´t make any soup, and actually it´s his fault that the boys got sick at all- but he´s good with mental support!

**purefoysgirl:** Sephiroth might think that ignorance is bliss - which doesn´t change anything about the fact that his reaction does pain Zack. I am just wondering how long he can manage to stay oblivious with Zack around who in a way is a constant reminder of his past, whether Sephiroth likes it or not. And if he should be found out jail´ll be the least of his worries I guess... I am careful with Cloud´s character, so I made him pretty close to the FFVII version before Seph goes mad: Cloud adores his General, he is his idol. He might feel a little more for him than is ´appropriate ´- this AU is a hetero-dominant world after all. I am happy you like it, thank you so much for the feedback!

**sareyva: **Yes, Zack really doesn´t have it easy- he is in a precarious situation where his loyalities are concerned and he wants to help but he doesn´t know how- and all he gets out of it is a proper ticking-off. I don´t think it´s surprising that you have no sympathy for the General (oh my, out of a habit I just wrote 'devil' XD), he simply doesn´t 'deserve' it. He hasn´t done anything to own it. But let´s see if I manage to convince you otherwise ;) *rubs hands*

**oztan: **Haha, no, Cloud did not sound very happy to get to know that his boss has three children^^ Woah, your suspicion made me smirk, but I cannot say anything about it, I´m sorry! You´ll just have to wait, but it´ll all be revealed soon, I promise!

**Thanks to everyone for reading, reviewing, alerting and faving!**

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	26. Chapter 26

**Hey! Next chapter, it´s probably the longest I have written so far for this story^^ **

**I´d like to thank purefoysgirl again for being such a great help with the betaing!**

**Enjoy!**

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26

"You sure it's here, yo?"

Reno looked up at the huge, impressive mansion, his head thrown back to take it all in, hands casually resting in his pockets, a cig dangling from the corner of his slightly opened mouth.

"Yes, I think so," Tifa frowned beside him. She gaped through the metal gate as well, holding the school bag in front of her, her long braids getting a bit rustled by the wind. "Loz said it was here…" She sighed and moved her head to face her fellow student, asking, "What are you doing here, anyway?"

The redhead just gave a shrug, exhaling some smoke. "Hand over homework." It sounded rather dismissive and Tifa suspected instantly that there was another reason, but she didn't ask. If he had wanted to tell her he'd have told her.

"Alright," she sighed again, and with one slender hand pushed open the heavy gate, slightly astonished that it wasn't locked. They went down the gravel path together, but when they reached the stairs up to the mansion Reno just strolled past it, throwing his cig onto the pedantically cut lawn.

"Wha-wait!" Tifa exclaimed, glancing nervously back at the front door before running after her unfazed fellow student, who was just about to vanish behind a corner and explore the terrace and the aquamarine pool.

"You can't just walk in here like that!" the girl whispered breathlessly at him once she had caught up, but all she got was another, disinterested shrug.

"If they didn't want people to waltz in they'd have locked the friggin' door, yo," Reno said, his eyes moving over the terrace. He frowned at the open glass door that greeted them and said, "See?" He then lifted an eyebrow at the unhappy girl and went straight for the salon.

Tifa shook her head in despair but went after him nonetheless. At least she had the civility to call out into the cool mansion, "Hello? Is anyone here? This is Tifa Lockhart and Reno…" she threw him a questioning look but he blatantly ignored her, rolling his eyes and just stepping into the house.

"We are coming in now!" Tifa hastily announced and followed him, intrigued by the huge, expensive interior. She lived in a big mansion very much like this one, but hers wasn't as… _dark_. It really looked like an old castle from the inside and despite the warm weather and the bright sun outside it was somewhat dark and cold in here with the black stone, wine red carpets and heavy curtains.

"Anyone here?" she raised her voice again, when the corridor ended and they stepped into the large hall with the high, stained-glass windows casting patterns on the stone floor. Reno came to a halt, looking somewhat indecisive where to go next. His sense of direction wasn't very developed (although he would never admit to that) and so they simply stood there for a few moments, feeling small and lost.

Within the next minute a loud noise made them flinch as a door banged against a wall and a man stumbled backwards into the hall to their right.

Zack just pulled his hip back from pushing open the kitchen door—both of his hands were busy holding a tray with steaming bowls of hot soup—and for a moment he looked as equally surprised to see the uninvited 'guests' as they were to see him.

"I-I am sorry," Tifa stuttered, being the first one to catch herself, and bowed down deeply. "We didn't want to intrude, Mister Fair. I thought a friend of mine was living here, but I must have been mistaken, we are very so—"

"Ah, it's okay!" Zack beamed at her with a bright smile, balancing the heavy tray with some difficulty, "You're Loz's girlfriend if I remember correctly? And you're Reno, right?"

His glittering eyes shifted over to Reno, who finally took his hands out his pockets and tried to look somewhat decent in front of the military authority. He wouldn't want the man to call the police or spontaneously slaughter him or something…

"We just wanted to bring homework," the girl said quietly, ready to leave on the spot, but Zack just enthusiastically nodded his head and motioned them with a gesture of his head to follow him up the stairs.

"That's great! The boys are struck with…erh food poisoning." If he could have, he'd have guiltily scratched his head at that. "But they are already better now, and I bet they are dead bored. They'll be happy to get visitors!"

Tifa gave a polite nod that Zack couldn't see since he walked before them. Reno simply followed, uncharacteristically quiet.

"Okay, could someone please…" the soldier breathed, throwing a meaningful look at the closed door and his occupied hands, and quickly Reno stepped forward to open the door for him.

"Thanks," Zack grunted, and stepped in, announcing cheerfully, "Hey Loz! I brought soup and your girlfriend!"

The youth rolled over, looking confused, but as soon as he spotted Tifa standing in the doorframe he jolted into a sitting position, drawing the blanket up to his pyjama-covered chest. "T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-Tifa!"

"Hello Loz," she shyly smiled at him and waved a bit.

"Whoa, that's your room, yo?" Reno stepped in, gazing up at the high ceiling with an appreciative look. "Fancy, yo."

Loz threw a confused look at Zack, but the man was busy setting the tray on the nightstand, so he shifted his gaze back to Tifa, but she just gave a slight shrug.

Walking over to the bed, she sat down at the very edge of it, setting her bag down on the carpet.

"How are you feeling?" Worry was evident in her voice, making Loz blush from delight and happiness.

"F-fine, I think," he murmured, and licked his lip, feeling his brain turn to mush. "Just a little stomach ache."

"Poor guy," she sighed, brushing her hand over his hair, making him blush even harder, although he greatly enjoyed the simple gesture of affection.

"Cool, you can see the pool from here, yo!" Reno exclaimed, leaning with both hands against the window frame. "You ever jumped in it from here?"

The question went unanswered since Tifa and Loz were busy adoring each other and holding hands.

Zack gathered back the tray in his hands and quickly announced, "I'm off to Kadaj, have fun guys!"

Smiling back at them, he left the room and wandered over to the next where Kadaj was impatiently laying in his bed, snuggling Fritz and looking positively bored and unchallenged.

"Hey! You feel any better?"

Kadaj simply nodded, drawing Fritz closer and watching Zack put the bowl on the nightstand.

Now with the belly ache gone he wasn't particularly hungry, but anything was better than doing nothing, even getting his fourth bowl of soup. That was how often he had managed to send Zack into the kitchen already. Actually he wanted cookies, but the soldier proved to be surprisingly stalwart, insisting that Kadaj only have soup for today. So after a few fruitless attempts of bribing, arguing and giving the puppy eyes (that at least provided Kadaj with something to do) he now sent Zack down every so often to get some boring soup he was grudgingly eating, looking pitiful and suffering.

"Not so good, actually…" he stretched with a heart-wrenching look, sticking out his bottom lip and accusing with a slight huff, "You took really long."

"Really?" Zack wondered, handing over the bowl of soup with an impish gleam in his eyes. "I am sorry, but Loz's girlfriend and Reno just came to pay a visi—"

"Loz's girlfriend?" Kadaj butted in, lowering his spoon before he could take the first bite of the hated soup.

"Yes," the soldier smiled, crouching down before the bed and innocently looking up the wide-eyed boy. "She seems like a nice girl."

"Really?" Kadaj breathed, barely able to conceal his curiosity. "Does she really have large tits?"

The man looked a little taken aback for a moment, but then roared out with laughter, shaking his head and wiping away a tear. "Boy, where did you get that language from?! Not from our dear General, that's for sure…"

"No," Kadaj smirked blithely, but still eyed the other expectantly, the bowl resting forgotten in his small lap. "Loz said she had."

"Hm," Zack just smiled, ruffling the boy's hair (earning himself a half-hearted glare) and choosing to leave the question unanswered.

"So…What are they doing?" the boy asked interestedly, but the soldier just shrugged.

"Dunno…Talking, playing games or something, I really don't know…Generally having fun, I think."

"Oh." Was the reply from Kadaj, his eyes moving back to his boring soup and the fateyes swimming even more boringly on the surface…His gaze shifted back to his care-taker, past the fringe of his bangs, and licking his rosy lips he started nonchalantly, "Well, maybe I can go over and take care that they won't do anything they are not allowed to do…"

"And what would that be?" the soldier asked, amused, observing the thoughtful face of his second bestest friend lightening up as he replied smugly, "Jumping on the bed!"

At least, in his point of view, this was one of the forbidden pleasures he would have done if he'd have the chance to get away with it!

"I see," Zack grinned, looking thoughtful for a moment himself. "I'd love to allow you that, but seeing that you are still not feeling well…"

"I'm fine!" Kadaj exclaimed hastily, jumping a little on the bed, eager to convince Zack that he was well enough to join the fun. "My belly doesn't hurt one bit anymore, must have been your wonderful soup!" He lifted the bowl and rubbed with one hand over his stomach to show how delicious the bland stuff had been.

"Really," was the chuckled reply, added by a teasing, "I'll tell Sephiroth that, I'm sure he will appreciate your praise for his culinary art."

The boy looked a little less enthusiastic suddenly, eyeing the soup with wariness, but at least Zack pulled it out of his hand and sighed, "Okay, C'mere."

He stood from his crouching position and heaved the boy into his arms as Kadaj quickly reached out for his plush snake.

Together, they walked over to where Tifa was still sitting with Loz, the two of them speaking in hushed voices and beaming at each other. Reno stood leaning against the window frame, looking bored with his arms crossed.

"Look who's here," Zack announced, giving them time to cease any 'illegal' activities, though it wasn't necessary.

"Hi," Kadaj said quietly, suddenly shy with all of the attention he got. Tifa let her hand slip from Loz's grip to wave at him with a smile.

"Hey there."

Loz sat up again, shifting a little uncomfortably but then clearing his throat and explaining "That's my littlest brother, Kadaj."

"I'm Tifa, nice to meet you," the girl introduced herself, standing up and shaking Kadaj's little hand with an even warmer smile. The youngest immediately decided that he liked her.

"I know," he informed her, pushing some hair out of his face, adjusting his plush snake on Zack's arm and then, after a scrutinizing look at her announcing, "Your tits really _are_ big. You look like one of the girls from the magazines Loz is secretly hiding under his bed."

The room was so quiet one could have heard a pin drop.

Loz just looked shell-shocked before he turned an unhealthy shade of red from embarrassment. Zack threw him an apologetic look that was directed at Tifa afterwards.

Reno thought he would just choke from holding back his laughter until he couldn't take it anymore and rolled on the floor, gasping, "I concur!"

The girl caught herself quickly enough, smiling mischievously, "That's what I get to hear often. Thank you."

Kadaj just shrugged, not knowing why everyone was so flustered, and said unfazed, "Okay. You're nice."

Her smile brightened at that, as she professionally ignored Reno having the time of his life behind her.

"That's a cool kid you have there, yo!"

Finally, Kadaj dragged his attention to the redhead and after a scrutinizing look he came to the conclusion that the mischievously smirking guy in the rumpled uniform was okay, too.

"Okay…I need to get some things done…" Zack said, giving Loz a meaningful look that asked if he should take Kadaj back with him. Seeing that no major damage had been done, however, and glad that his grudging brother was willing to voluntarily come near him at all, Loz just shrugged, signalling that he could stay if he wanted.

And so Zack sat the boy on the bed and with another smile went down to wash away the mess he'd created in the kitchen before Sephiroth could come back and lynch him.

*

Yazoo was just drifting in a state of wonderful numbness when a loud noise pierced through his dreamless sleep and forced him back to consciousness. Grouchily, he cracked an eye open at the warm sun still shining brightly into his room and tried to locate the offending noises. His gaze was drawn past his bed to the ground, where hushed sounds were now coming from and he narrowed his eyes because he spotted something red and…hairy?!

He soundlessly crept forward on the mattress towards the end of it and blankly looked over the rim.

"Shhhh!" Kadaj whispered indignantly, pressing his tiny index finger against his pursed lips, and gave his new friend a reprimanding look. In his other hand he held the controller for one of Yazoo's gaming consoles, and on the big TV in front of him some car racing game was displayed. The sound had been tuned down, probably to not wake Yazoo.

The silver haired teen's eyes shifted over to the other person in his room, still crouching completely motionlessly at the end of the bed, unnoticed by his 'guests'.

"Yeah, yeah…" a certain redhead whispered distractedly, waving a hand and staring back at the monitor in utter concentration. "Your brother's sleeping like a rock, yo, I bet you could just roll with that Escort RS Cosworth right into his bed and he would just snore it away. "

Kadaj started giggling behind his hand at that and Reno sported a lopsided grin, totally oblivious to the stiff figure sitting right behind him on the bed. Yazoo briefly closed his eyes and opened them again to make sure that he hadn't just stumbled into a nightmare.

"Oh Yazzy, you're awake!" Kadaj suddenly exclaimed and peeled himself out of the blanket he had been tucked into to keep his ill stomach warm. He seemed rather agile again, though, even more so when he jumped on the bed to attack his brother for a tight hug.

Yazoo just managed to hold his little arms at bay and set him down, because he was not in the mood for displaying affection right now. He'd rather know why Reno was sitting in his room, casually playing games as if he owned the place.

"Yazzy?" the redhead echoed ironically with a smirk, with his head bent towards the bed. He had stopped playing and the controller rested in the triangle between his lap and his crossed legs. "You're finally awake yo, took you long enough. How ya feelin´?"

"Reno came to pay you a visit cos you're ill!" Kadaj explained exuberantly, rolling back and forth on his knees with a huge grin. "He's cool, I kicked his ass!"

Reno rolled his eyes at the triumphant grin he was graced with from the little rascal and then shrugged, expectantly eyeing Yazoo.

"…I see," the youth simply said, throwing Reno a sidelong glance, and concentrated on Kadaj once more. "You seem healthy again. Did the antibiotics work?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically. "I'm fine! It was super boring, but then Reno and Tifa came, you know, Loz's girlfriend. She's nice, but it got boring with them so we came here to play… We didn't wake you, did we?" His boyish face was marred by a guilty, worried expression now but the older just dismissed it with a neutral, "It's alright."

Then he looked at Reno again, asking diffidently, "Who let you in?"

"No one, yo," the redhead replied with a shrug and added with a frown, "You know, it's pretty easy getting into your fancy house. If this was my home I'd put up an alarm system or something. You're practically inviting people in to hook your stuff, yo."

Yazoo tilted his head at that, replying sweetly, "Really? Well, maybe the problem is not getting in...But getting out."

Before Reno could dwell on that Yazoo faced his little brother again and said to him, "Can you leave us alone for a bit? You can take a movie with you if you want. I believe Reno brought my homework and it will just be boring for you."

Kadaj looked a bit disappointed at that but then he gave in, quickly pressing a wet kiss to Yazoo's inattentive cheek before he jumped from the bed. Wrapping his blanket around his slim body, he fetched a movie from Yazoo's large collection placed in one of the shelves and—with a last wave at the two teenagers—he was gone.

Reno waved back and then leaned back against the bed with a small smile, remarking, "Cool kid, yo." He took a package from his pocket and started to light a cig, snapping the lighter shut and letting it vanish. Naturally Yazoo's tight comment about not smoking in his room went ignored and so the youth had to get up from the bed and open one of the wide windows.

"So how ya feelin´?" Reno asked again, looking up at his fellow student with interest.

Yazoo had grabbed a robe that had been draped over his desk chair where he had also taken a seat at a safe distance from the redhead.

"Fine," was the dismissive reply. "What are you doing here?"

"Just playing your personal homework delivery service, yo, no need to be so friggin' hostile." The redhead laughed at the suspicious tone and grabbed for one of the expensive ancient vases that stood on a shelf for decoration purposes. "You have a pretty cool room."

"I know that," Yazoo replied glibly, still not letting his eyes from the smoking teen. "So, what is it?"

"What is what?" Reno asked, frowning.

"The homework," the other replied dryly, tilting his head.

"Oh. Not a clue." The redhead just carelessly shrugged and took another drag from his cigarette, looking completely unfazed. "Didn't really listen."

Yazoo was very tempted to rub his temple and massage the upcoming headache away, but he didn't move, hands remaining in his lap. He didn't say anything either—obviously Reno had come here for a certain reason but he wouldn't give him the satisfaction of asking what exactly it was. So he simply sat there in his chair, quietly staring the other down.

This tactic didn't fail to unfold its effect, since Reno wasn't a person made for sitting around without doing anything. So, he finally bent one leg and brushed the ash of his cig against the rim of the vase, observing his actions and saying, "Just wanted to tell you that I'll accept your apology."

Yazoo's long hair swayed a little as he moved his head. "Great."

"Yeah," Reno sighed, standing up, strolling past the other youth and having a languid look over the books on the shelves. "Thought about it and decided that it's kinda childish to sulk about it…Hey is that Conan Doyle?" He grabbed a book and flicked through it with a curious, interested expression on his face.

Yazoo had turned around in his chair, reading the title that was held out towards him, and confirmed, "Yes." He threw the redhead a slightly astounded look. "I did not know you liked his work."

"Are you kidding me?! That guy is a friggin' genius! Devoured all his books in one go, yo!" Reno exclaimed, eyes still on the pages. "You know that story when Holmes and Watson meet for the first time and Watson tells the detective that the earth is round? And Holmes is totally pissed and says 'Great, now I have to forget that useless information as soon as possible or it will stuff my brain'? Man, that was such an eye-opener!"

Yazoo gave him a strange look and said slowly, "This, coincidentally, happens to be my favorite part as well."

"Seriously?" Reno replied with glittering eyes, quickly taking another drag and then pushing his cig out, misusing another vase that just happened to unfortunately stand near him. "I mean he's so right, isn't he? Day after day our brains get cramped with useless shit until we lose sight of the really important things, yo. Why the hell do I have to know which river is the longest, what friggin' mountain is the highest? It's not like it's helping me gonna survive that shit!"

"It would help you survive school at least," Yazoo pointed out dryly.

"Yeah maybe, but after that?" Reno made a gesture as if he was throwing something over his shoulder. "Won't ever need that information again."

"Hm," the silver haired youth said, looking at the ground in thought. "Division of labor certainly forces people to specialize their knowledge…"

"Of course, we know _that_ since Adam Smith, but it seems that it hasn't reached the right guy's ears yet." He rolled his eyes, taking the book with him and sitting down on the bed. "You have a favorite story?"

Yazoo denied, saying that he generally enjoyed the deduction methods with which Sherlock Holmes would convict the culprits and to his surprise they really had a pleasant, relaxed discussion for half an hour about something he would never have expected to talk about with _Reno_ of all people!

Finally, the redhead had a look at his watch and jumped to his feet with a curse. "Fuck I'm late! Should have been back at the dorms ten minutes ago, shit!" He grabbed his jacket from the floor and almost ran off to the door, but in the last second he turned around again.

"Was nice talking to you, yo."

Yazoo confirmed that with a simple nod of his head and watched the youth give a quick goodbye before he was gone.

TBC

* * *

**So, we finally get to see a bit more of Tifa and Loz (they really got a bit neglected, I´m sorry!!!)**.** The relationship between Kadaj and Loz seems to relax slowly as well *finally*** **Hm... Oh, sorry for the awkward dialogue between Yazoo and Reno- I sat at my comp for half an hour blankly staring at the screen and wondering what they could talk about. Then I looked at my bookshelf for inspiration- and there you have it. -_-**

**Valitiel:** Weeeeeeeeeeell... I didn´t say Zack won´t manage to get Sephiroth back to his old self ;) *cough* Yeah, Hojo is creepy, he looks like some... Doctor Frankenstein *eww* Sephiroth was a bit careless (and probably horny XD), he shouldn´t have done those things with Zack being just a few rooms further down the hall...

**Shiva Raja:** Bonjour! Je ne parle pas francais trés bien... :( To tell the truth I almost speak none of it anymore (which is rather sad because french sounds so beautiful) *sigh* Loz is your favorite, really? That´s great, I don´t know much people who prefer him over his 'pretty brothers'! I personally think that Loz has so much potential for development, they could have made a bit more out of it in the movies... And he´s absolutely adorable of course ;) (If not to say 'cute'...). I tried to read your fics, but sadly I don´t understand much of it anymore. I can still understand more than try to speak myself, but it´s not enough to grasp what´s going on. But I´m so curious! I believe I saw some pretty fanarts for your story and they got me hooked! Hm, maybe someday someone will translate them into english or german (or I´ll get my lazy ass up and start re-learning french) XD

**purefoysgirl:** I normally don´t like the happy-go-lucky-characters with their forced happiness, they unnerve me. But Zack... Zacks different XD I want my boyfriend to be like him: uncomplicated, with boysih charm and his heart in the right place^^ *can´t wait for her PSP so she can molest him 24/7* I´m not sure Sephiroth would kill Zack that easily. He might find him annoying and inconvenient, but they still share a past and precious memories, even if Sephiroth may not want to admit that... Ah, the military coup- I thought Sephiroth would be someone who has the power, the influence, the charisma and the will to try something like that. But people around him aren´t as dumb as he may think... ^___^ Oh, and about the mentioning: you´re more than welcome, it´s the least I can do for honoring your help!

**oztan:** Hehe, we´ll see in the next chapter if it really was Cloud calling him. Hm... I think in this story the ShinRa Company doesn´t play a big role. Rufus could be the owner of it, but that´s just additional info: foremost he is the president of a (semi) democratic country and tries to remain it :) So Sephiroth has absolutely nothing to do with the company, but he would want to take over the government, I believe... Does that make any sense? XD

**sareyva:** Oh, Sephiroth probably thought it would look odd if he didn´t visit Kadaj and Loz as well, but he kept it short. I bet he was so_ totally _creeped out at Zack´s naive suggestion to rub Loz´belly XD Though Loz is rather hawt as well... Maybe Sephiroth just has a preference for long hair. I thought that people may suspect that there was another reason why Zack would stay at the general´s house, since it really isn´t that hard to get him a hotel room or something, but to my knowledge no one mentioned their doubts... It´d have been a major plothole if there hadn´t been a reason and I try to avoid such things (it could happen of course, so please feel free to tell me!).

**Thanks for reviewing everyone, see you next chapter?**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey^^ Sorry for the wait, I needed some time to put this chapter together, but it´s really long this time so I hope you´ll forgive me. As always I am very grateful to the wonderful purefoysgirl who did another awesome job with betaing this chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

27

Vincent wandered down the cold, sterile corridors of the morgue one too many times for his liking already. But there was no way around it either: the dead body of Tseng was all he had so far. Well, maybe that wasn't exactly right, there was still the rather tight-lipped other teacher, Elena, but he still harboured hopes that they would find something, anything…He needed hard evidence; otherwise there was no chance that anyone would listen to his reasoning.

They had found two cups in the apartment. Two used cups of tea, analysis had shown they'd come from the same brewing. One of them had obviously been Tseng's, but the other…The other indicated that Tseng hadn't been alone at the time of his death.

And Yazoo was the only one of the possible suspects with no alibi for that time. Sure, the fingerprints they had found didn't give any evidence, since the boys had all been living there for a few hours, which was plenty of time to touch everything possible (and impossible). Strangely, there had been no fingerprints on the second cup, though.

But the worrisome thing was that - if the suspicions about the abusive behaviour of Sephiroth held any truth - Yazoo also had a motive to get his troublesome teacher out of the way. It was possible that he did not want the abuse to be discovered, and his efforts to get his hands at Kadaj's homework underpinned that fact as well. Although, Vincent had actually first suspected the General: his motive to annihilate the man was far stronger, he was used to killing and he probably had the resources to do so. Also, his sudden and uncalled for appearance at the crime scene was rather suspicious. Unfortunately, Sephiroth had a watertight alibi for the time since he had been holding a speech in front of approximately 300 new recruits (and several cameras). But his influence on Yazoo was undeniable; the Inspector had seen that much from his short visit to the mansion. He'd almost have believed the youth's acting, if it hadn't been for those haunting, oddly cold eyes that didn't match the rest of his behaviour…He'd seen those eyes before and it was nothing he wanted to see in a child's face. But it had only convinced him further that the youth wasn't to be taken lightly, and his recent encounter with Kadaj had proven it. Yazoo knew about the immunity that childhood brought with itself, the innocence that was above any suspicion, and he handled it well, used it to his advantage. If not for himself, he played Kadaj as his trump card, which probably said more about him than anything…

Shaking his head, Vincent came to stand before a steel door and entered despite his inner reluctance. It wasn't that he particularly disliked morgues; it was just that he loathed a certain doctor. And as if to prove his aversion right, doctor Hojo looked up from the corpse he was currently working on, with that thin grin of his that made chills run down Vincent's spine.

The same eyes.

"Inspector Valentine, what a pleasure to see you again," the pathologist purred, the surgical mask hanging unused around his scrawny neck. Vincent just nodded in greeting, not being able to bring himself to reciprocate the sentence.

"Doctor." He quickly scanned the corpse out of routine, but then averted his eyes. "Did you get any new results on Mister Tseng?"

Hojo frowned at that, apparently not knowing who was meant.

"The teacher?" the Inspector jogged his brain with a sourly lifted brow. Apparently, Hojo didn't deign to learn his 'clients' names, which in Vincent's eyes just showed the lack of respect and humanity the man naturally seemed to carry around. The people he handled may be dead, but they were still human, at least to Vincent.

"Yes, yes," Hojo nodded, adjusting his glasses, walking around the steel table and placing his surgical knife on it to put his hands behind his slightly stooped back. "I didn't get any new results."

"Really." Vincent squeezed the notebook that rested in his hand just slightly, inwardly sighing, but then he straightened a bit and ordered with a blank face, "Well, I'd like to get a second opinion on that. No offence to your work, but I feel that it might be more efficient for the case. You must be quite busy after all, and I do not want to bother you with it."

"I understand, I understand," the doctor nodded again, his glasses turning momentarily white and impenetrable as the sterile light reflected on them. The Inspector felt some kind of relief at the man's agreement, since it implied that he didn't have to meet the man anymore. At least not for this case.

"That won't be possible, I'm afraid though," Hojo informed him the next minute with a thoughtful look that made Vincent narrow his eyes.

"And why is that?" was the coldly spoken reply, and Vincent could have sworn that he saw the corner's of the man's mouth twitch up just the slightest bit.

"Well, since there were no new results that indicated a crime I made him free for the burial. He's already in the crematory." Hojo adjusted his glasses again, and then said after a small pause, "I am sorry."

The notebook was crushed in the iron fingers as Vincent clenched his jaw. He took a few shallow breathes to calm his inner turmoil down.

"Who ordered that done?"

The doctor looked surprised at the question, kneading his hands behind his back and tilting his head in bewilderment, as if he didn't understand what Vincent was asking him..

"I swear, if General Sephiroth gave you that order this will have unpleasant consequences, and not only for him! He is military and has no jurisdiction in inner state affair - "

"Oh, please. No one ordered me to do anything, it was a decision I made myself," Hojo cut the tightly spoken speech off, giving a small, almost mocking laugh and a shake of his head. "Nothing that indicated a crime was found, and there was no reason to have him here any longer. It would have been a crime to unnecessarily torture his relatives further by holding off the ceremony, wouldn't it?" A threatening edge had crept into his voice as it became lower, but not unfriendly.

"He didn't have any relatives."

Vincent eyed the smug General's lapdog one moment longer and abruptly turned on his heel, leaving the room before he could forget himself.

*

When Sephiroth came into Yazoo's room a few hours later he was in a rather good mood, to say the least. This wasn't much of a surprise, since he had been able to take care of a few rather annoying, and pressing matters. First off the city was relieved from the presence of one more bacteria infested pizza parlour - as soon as Hojo had confirmed that the pizza had indeed been the cause for his children's sickness the shop's fate had been sealed.

Second, he'd let Hojo take care of that troublesome corpse that the even more annoying Inspector apparently couldn't leave alone, despite the results – not very surprisingly - all being negative. With the corpse gone the case was closed and Sephiroth could turn his attention back to more important matters…

The faint smile that had graced him since the time he had let the crestfallen pizza shop owner frogmarched off was still lingering on his lips when he closed the door behind him and found his child sitting up against the cushion on his bed. Yazoo was reading a book but laid it aside as he noticed Sephiroth enter.

"How are you?" the General asked, putting his military headgear on the nightstand as he sat on the bed, one hand on his child's legs which were still covered by the blankets. For now.

"Fine," Yazoo answered with his head tilted eyes dull.

"That is good to hear…" Sephiroth smiled thinly, stroking the boy's head and then letting go to get something out of his pocket. "I happened to come by the facility and got you the new shooting simulation you mentioned."

He placed the disc on the bed, where it was taken by slow fingers and rewarded with a, "Thank you."

"You are welcome." The smile got a bit wider, but also more predatory. It had been too long, too long since he had found relief in the warmth of another body…He needed the warmth, craved it, and Yazoo's body suited him just fine. Sephiroth didn't care about such trivial things as gender, other traits were far more important to determine his mate. And the youth happened to fit the criteria. Yazoo was discreet, calm and clever when needs be. Beautiful. Obedient (most of the time). He didn't ask questions and he wasn't irritating to Sephiroth -which was probably the most important trait. He was appropriately grateful when Sephiroth felt like spoiling him. He was always available.

And he was as lonely as Sephiroth was.

"…tea?"

"Hm?" The General blinked, his gaze focusing back on the youth who simply gestured at a pot of steaming tea that sat on his nightstand.

"No, I don't want _tea_," Sephiroth said with a dismissive look that implied he desired something else. He reached out the next moment to cup Yazoo's yaw and make him look up. Leaning forward, he was just about to finally start to get some much needed relief, when a sharp scent caught his attention and made him narrow his eyes.

"Did you smoke?"

The suspicious question was remarkably frostier and the smile had left the General's features.

"No," Yazoo answered serenely, but a spark of wariness had crept into his eyes.

"Do not lie to me," Sephiroth snapped sharply, grabbing the youth's chin harder, his own gaze becoming fierce. "I can clearly smell cigarette smoke on you."

"Reno did smoke in here."

"Reno…" The mentioning of the obnoxious redhead made the General narrow his eyes even further and it did nothing to restore his formerly good mood – quite to the contrary.

"What was he doing here? Didn't I make it clear that he is to stay away from you?" Sephiroth's voice had gone down to a menacingy low level and his anger was underpinned by the iron grip that now held Yazoo's face like in a vice.

"I did not invite him. Zack let him in," Yazoo answered calmly, not breaking eye contact, but not looking particularly challenging either. Just enough to make clear that he was not lying and had no reason to avert his eyes.

The General's eyes narrowed further, but apparently he believed Yazoo, since he finally let go of his chin.

"You wait here." He ordered, his voice curt, and abruptly stood to walk out of the room, his posture stiff. The long haired boy leaned back in the cushions; hands calmly folded in his lap and watched the man leave his room, thinking that he wouldn't want to be in Lieutenant Zack Fair's shoes right now.

*

Sephiroth found Zack in Kadaj's room, where they were playing an old board game Zack had found somewhere.

The General curtly asked his Lieutenant outside and Zack followed the order with a slight frown, not knowing what he had done wrong now. Once outside he closed the door with a smile at Kadaj to not worry, and turned around to face his friend.

"Did you let civilians enter my house?" Sephiroth cut right down to the topic, crossing his arms and looking far from pleased.

The soldier looked confused for a moment but then scratched his head and gave a light laugh,

"Ah, you mean Reno and Tifa? Yeah, they came by to pay the boys a visit and bring homewo—"

"Did I give you permission for that?" the General interrupted frostily.

"… Well, no but—"

"_Shut_. _Up_. Do you even understand what possible consequences your behaviour could have drawn?" Sephiroth pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes briefly before his sharp gaze pierced his inferior again, who looked quite confused and contrite. "For their own safety it is necessary that no one knows why or in which way we are connected. Do you understand me?"

Zack bit his lip, looking like he was tempted to say something, but then he just cast his eyes downwards and said quietly, "Yes, sir. My apologies. I promise it won't happen again."

"Certainly not," Sephiroth affirmed darkly with a wry look down on the soldier. "You will move out tomorrow."

"Wha- What?! Wait!" Zack looked up in bewilderment, mouth hanging open.

"I bought you an apartment in the inner city, it should suit you."

The soldier blinked at the calmly spoken explanation and then shut his mouth, looking uncomfortable and scratching his head again. "Oh. Well…thanks, but that really wouldn't have been necessary!"

"You are welcome," Sephiroth replied, briefly seizing his friend up. "You did more than enough; see it as compensation for the last few days."

"You don't have to compensate me, it was fun being with the boys and you, really," Zack instantly objected, waving his hands in front of him and trying to find a way out of this unfortunate development. He had to stay here for observation purposes, but there was no good reason to reject the present without arousing Sephiroth's suspicions, and he really didn't want that. He wanted his friend to trust him again, to share his worries with him. So that Zack could help him.

"It was. You can move in tomorrow. I did rely on you for far too long," Sephiroth said distractedly, his hands moving to his temples again.

"Okay," Zack surrendered quietly, taking a worried step forward. "You okay?"

"I am fine. Just a headache," the General dismissed flatly, continuing to massage his temple and looking generally stressed.

"You know you can always talk to me. About everything, no matter what, no matter when. I'll always have an open ear for you," the younger one offered, still looking concerned. "I know you have a lot of stress and responsibility, which can wear on you, and with the kids on top it's even much more of a trial. But whenever you need my help just call me and I'll be right at your door. I know a few years have passed, and we kind of lost sight of each other, but I want to be your friend again. Eight years back I admired and respected you, and that didn't change, ever. I feel that there's a gap been building between us, but I want to overcome that, I want to be a friend to you again. So, whenever you need my help, or maybe just want to talk, please call me."

Zack helplessly let his hands hang beside his side, not knowing what to do with them once his passionate speech had ended. A desperate attempt to get through to Sephiroth it was, certainly, but he just had to try.

"I will keep that in mind," the silver haired man answered after a brief pause, shooting the other a strange glance, but then he was back to being unapproachable and distant, straightening up and with a curt nod he went back to Yazoo's room to get his much needed relaxation.

*

They were surrounded.

He could feel them.

Everywhere.

Lurking in the ruins and waiting, waiting for him to let his guard down and come at him again and again like they had done since he could think.

The others…

The others were piled up to his feet in little mountains of raw meat and torn limbs, the ground was slick with blood and guts, the red was everywhere and he couldn't really breath because the air was almost melting with heat and the smoke was curling over the bodies. It reeked of rotten and burned flesh, a sweet, nauseating smell that got into his hair, his skin, and his clothes. The fire - hot angry flames - was everywhere, the ashes swirling in the air like a sick version of rotten snowflakes and they fell down on him, into his eyes, on his face, smeared with the blood on him that wasn't his, not yet anyway…

And the screams…

The _screams_!

The anguish and the pain erupting from the arched, twisted bodies, shaking them and making everything else meaningless, insignificant, non-existent…

He didn't want to join them.

He didn't want to crawl on the meaty, dirty, muddy ground and search for his missing fingers or arms or whatever had fallen victim to the merciless slasher's blades.

He didn't want to stare into the smoky, cold night sky with glassy eyes while others were stumbling, falling over his scorched body.

He didn't want to see acquaintances and friends fall down to the ground beside him with a wet burble as their throats were slit open and their lives he'd been part of just fading away within mere moments. If they were lucky.

He didn't want to die.

He didn't want to die!

And they came again.

Launched another brute attack at the little group that could barely stand anymore and he could see!

Could see their dark silhouettes against the furious, red fires and they were coming again and he didn't want to die so he just slashed and hacked at everything and there was red and blood and _things_ and it was on _him_ and on the ground and he slashed another and Gods - had that been one of his own people?!

Did he care? No, he didn't he didn't want to die, and he couldn't see but red and somehow it was gone the weapon was gone and he didn't want to die so he grabbed with his fingers and _tore_ apart (why could he not see) warm soft rip wet and red his fingers found something and they clenched, pressed _HE DIDN´T WANT TO DIE_!!!!

A gurgle made him jerk his eyes open and he saw again.

It wasn't the battlefield and it wasn't a young man of his own age in a bloody, all too familiar uniform and horrified eyes staring up, he strangled.

No, his fingers cramped around a white, delicate throat and he pressed a fragile, naked body into the mattress, staring into huge green eyes and an angelic face that resembled his own in as many ways as it was different from his. Silver hair was falling around them like a curtain and spilled on the rattling, weakly struggling body…

Finally feeling the pulsing under his fingers, the General unclenched them, slipping down from the coughing body he'd been sitting on and guided one trembling hand towards his wide eyes, cupping his face and trying to get his breathing back under control.

He felt the bed shift underneath him as Yazoo crawled away from him, kneeling on the mattress as his body was shaken by violent coughs and gasps, the boy holding his abused throat with one hand, the other braced against the soft surface of the blanket.

Turning away and sitting on the edge of the bed, feeling the surreal plushy fabric of the carpet under the sole of his bare feet, Sephiroth continued to stare through the fingers that were still holding his face, breathing evening out.

Behind him the coughs became less, until they ceased entirely.

Shoving away the hand that reached out to him, Sephiroth harshly ordered, "Go back to sleep" and stood, vanishing in the bathroom.

Once he'd closed the door he remained still in the pitch black room for a moment, then he mechanically switched on the light. Crossing the distance to the porcelain sink, he turned on the water. He held his hands under the cold stream before guiding a fair amount of it to his face, closing his eyes as he made contact with the fresh liquid.

It hadn't been heroic at all. Nothing, not one part of the fairy tales they had made up resembled the truth even closely, the horror of a hopeless battle they had been exposed to. No theory could have prepared them for the merciless, brutal slaughter that had come upon them. He, an inexperienced, young and promising commander who could do nothing to save his comrades, who had to bear the responsibility of having abandoned them, to have betrayed their trust…

In the beginning it hadn't been bad at all, a field trip with everyone being in high spirits, eager to do something for their country. Possibly with the secret hopes to become heroes, to fend off the enemy.

It hadn't been heroic at all.

They noticed that when the food started to dwindle and the first of them began to suffer from the bad weather. No matter how trained, after weeks of constant rain, being out in the wilderness in unfamiliar territory drained even the most skilled warrior. But Sephiroth had managed to keep the mood up with talks of great achievements, friendly clasps on the shoulder, and a comforting word for everyone, despite his own distress. It hadn't taken him long to figure out that something was wrong, that this wasn't going as it was supposed to. But he had ignored the bad feeling in his gut.

When they had run into the ambush it had come crushing down on him in the most painful of ways—the unshaken certainty that he and his troop had been set up, had been betrayed by the people they trusted. By his own superiors at that. Most terrifying was the realisation that the thirty four young men who were with him hadn't anything to do with it at all. Sephiroth, the young, aspiring genius swordsman was a thorn in the flesh of not a little group of elitists who saw their position threatened. Getting rid of him that way, by sending them into a supposed 'ambush', was the most practical way to show Sephiroth's 'incompetence' and secure their positions. The other thirty four people were sacrifices made all too willingly.

Sephiroth had tried. He really had. When the tactics from the books failed them, he had tried to improvise with the little group of half way capable men he had left, securing the injured, but they quickly had to give up on that. They had needed all their resources to stay alive, to defend themselves against an overwhelming army of fierce, determined fighters. It was probably their primal urge for survival that gave them the will to keep going and take quite a few of the enemy with them. In the end, they had come to realise it was hopeless, though. In that fateful night there had been only twelve men left, including Sephiroth. They had withdrawn into a chasm, with an unclimbable wall of rock behind them and the enemy in front of them.

And then all hell had broken loose.

Sephiroth could not remember the details, but at one point of time, when the smell, the fire, the horror had become too overwhelming for one single mind to bear, he had gone berserk. And a riot it must have been. Bits and pieces of what he had done came back in the deep of the night to haunt him, to remind him of the unrememberable, but he did not remember when he was conscious. He knew that he hadn't been anything resembling even vaguely human back there then anymore, he hadn't been able to differentiate between friend or foe and he knew with an unflinching certainty that the last of his men had fallen under his own blade. Everything that had been moving that night had done so for the last time, and he had been the bringer of death, a mad war god forced to expose his full potential by the mere, single wish to survive the terror.

They had found him a week after, in a heap of rotting flesh and torn limbs, the sole survivor of the massacre that would go down in history as the turning point of a long war. He had disappointed the hopes of those who had wanted him dead as well as those who had entrusted their lives to him, but at that point of time he had not cared anymore. All that he had sought was relief, was quiet, was the comforting presence of those he held dear. He didn't want the fame and the praise, the glory and attention they bestowed on him. No one asked questions, they just celebrated his victory and no one asked him if he was alright. There was a lot of handshaking and 'experts' discussing the matter and being in awe. The enemy was in fear and disarray, but Sephiroth did not care about the tales that were told and in which he was starring. He just wanted to go back, wanted to tell someone.

But when he finally _got_ back, no one was left. They clinically enlightened him with a lax clasp on the shoulder that he was alone now and let him have a short look at the body bags.

And even then there was no time for him to mourn their deaths, his fate, the tragedy of it all, because there still was someone and he needed to be strong. He needed to take care of the puppy and even if his words of comfort sounded hollow and empty to him he said them anyway, seeking some truth, some balm for his raw soul in them. Shortly after, he managed to get Zack transferred to a post abroad where he was more concerned with diplomatic matters, where the uglier face of war wouldn't manage to catch up with him. Where he hopefully could keep his innocence, at least partly. Where he wasn't confronted with the ugly shemings and politics within the military. Sephiroth himself stepped back into the lion's den, was head deep in the nest of serpents.

He had gone into war as a child and had come back as a dead man walking.

Slowly the smell of burning flesh and the sound of raving flames and feral screams faded away and after another splash to the face the General shut the water off.

Rising from his bent position to full height again he came face to face with his own reflection.

Up-tilted, cold emerald eyes stared right back at him, water droplets falling from long black lashes as they blinked. Smooth silver hair framed a pale, beautiful face.

Abruptly moving away from the mirror, Sephiroth went back to the door, turning off the mild light and entering the bedroom again.

He stopped by the door frame, his gaze needing a moment to adjust to the decisively darker room. Then it inevitably wandered over to the bed where the cold moonlight fell on the still, sleeping form of his child.

Taking in the expressionless face resting on the cushions, Sephiroth briefly wondered how it was to not feel. Yazoo had told him on an occasion that he did not. Feel, that was. Or at least he was not capable of feeling emotions, if one believed his words. That was not to say that he did not understand them on an abstract level or that he did not feel _physically_. But sentiments apparently were nothing he could experience himself. He could distinguish between them easily and he could read them on other peoples' faces. To him they were just a matter of cause and consequence. He knew how to trigger emotions and manipulate them, letting people react according to his wishes, because emotions were just like chains of causation. Do action A and receive emotion B. And that was why Sephiroth knew that he wasn't to be concerned by Yazoo because unlike most people he was absolutely and utterly unpredictable. Even to himself at times.

Turning away from the bed, the General strode over to the door and pressed down the handle.

It was probably time to change.

TBC

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**I hope it became apparent now why Sephiroth did not want Yazoo to join the army... did it?**

**Shiva_Rajah:** Aww, not much Kadaj, Loz or Reno in this one, sorry hun... But you get more unnerving Sephiroth I´m afraid XD Maybe he won´t be that bad in future chapters, but we will definitely see more of the SHM, Tifa and Reno as well, I promise! Merci pour le review! (Did I do this right?^^')

**Valitiel: **Yay, Reno and Yazoo did have a bonding moment indeed^^ Thanks for reviewing, and I´m glad you liked it!

**Review please?**


	28. Chapter 28

**Thank you so much for 150 reviews!!! It exceeded my wildest dreams that people would ever be so nice and give me that much and awesome feedback *wipes away tears of joy* I luvs you guys!**

**Now, here´s the next chapter! As always I am eternally (and beyond) grateful to the wonderful purefoysgirl/jaded_grin for her terrific proof reading^^**

**Without further ado, enjoy!**

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28

Elena pulled a strand of flaxen hair behind her ear while she read over one of the tests in concentration. During the last few days she had overloaded herself with work just to escape the hollowness that befell her whenever she hadn't anything to do. Her thoughts would inevitably wander to Tseng and the fact that he wasn't there anymore…Work kept her mind busy and away from the agonizing sadness that wrenched her heart. That was, until night came and she couldn't force her eyes open any longer. Then the dreams would come, the nightmares about how she had found him…

Shaking her head in frustration she took a sip from the water glass that stood beside the stack of papers on her desk and tried to concentrate on her work. When the phone ringed shrilly, it was enough to make her flinch.

Elena briefly considered not answering it at all since she didn't feel like having another conversation with that Inspector who just couldn't leave her alone. He called her on an almost daily basis, asking the same questions again and again, and she was so tired of it. Of course, she wanted to help solve the problem, but it was starting to exhaust her as well. She had a bad conscience about it, but she wanted it to be over as well, wanted to forget about it and move on…

The phone rang again, and after another moment of biting her lip the teacher answered it with a sigh.

"Listen, I'm sorry, I told you everything I know, please, don't call me anymore."

"Oh? My apologies…" was the reply from the other end of the line, and it made the teacher freeze in horror. This wasn't…This voice _couldn't_ be…!

"Ge-general _Sephiroth_?"

"Yes."

"Oh my, I'm so sorry! Please, I thought you were…someone else." Elena stared wide-eyed at her wall, her heart dancing an impressive staccato act while the blood kept rushing into her cheeks. Licking her lips and trying to get her excitement and shock somewhat under control, the young woman stood from her seat and nervously pulled more hair behind her ear.

"If this is an inconvenient time for you – "

"No!" she cried, but then she placed a hand over her pounding heart, took a deep breath and answered in a more composed manner, though her voice was still shaking a bit, "No, I'm sorry, I have time right now." '_Good girl, keep breathing_,' she reminded herself breathlessly, unconsciously tightening the grip around the phone. "What can I do for you? Is it about Kadaj? He is doing really well now, both in his classes and with the other children. I think the acting class really helped him to get along with the other students."

"I am glad to hear that," was the slightly amused reply from the other end of the line. "But in all actuality I did not call to hear about my children."

"Oh," answered the teacher, mentally smacking her forehead for getting so ahead of herself. She was acting like a fourteen year old fangirl, wasn't she? But if he didn't want to talk about Kadaj why else would he call her? He couldn't want to talk about…Tseng, could he? Her face fell a bit at that thought, and she cast her eyes downwards, asking in a considerably quieter voice, "How can I help you, then?"

"Well, actually I was wondering if you are free tonight. There is a charity ball I have to attend and I am still lacking a charming companion."

The world was ending. It definitely had to be. Or it least it was for Elena, since her vision suddenly strangely shifted and she barely made it to the chair before her shaking legs gave out under her.

"…Hello? Are you still there?"

"I…" Elena croaked. Her tongue refused to cooperate, as did her brain, and she needed another moment to adjust to the sudden situation. "I am here, I think?"

She gave a disbelieving, helpless laugh, totally overwhelmed. Then she moved a hand over her mouth, shook her head and repeated as if to clear it, asking "Are you…are you asking me out on a date?"

There was a moment of silence from the General and Elena was on the verge of a panic attack that she might have offended him by her blunt question. But she needed to clarify it; otherwise she wouldn't be able to wrap her mind around the concept at all!

"Well, I suppose so," Sephiroth finally said, his voice thoughtful.

"Oh." Was the absolutely startled reply. "Oh."

"Yes."

"Oh…"

"Well?"

"Oh."

"If you have other plans already-"

"_No_!" Elena abruptly awoke from her petrified state and clung to the armrest of her chair, knuckles turning white. "I mean no, please, I'm sorry. This is all so sudden and unexpected..."

"I understand tha – "

"I would _love_ to accompany you!" she hurried to add, eager to eliminate any possible misunderstanding that she wouldn't! Gods, this was her wildest dreams becoming true! There was absolutely _nothing_ that could deter her from taking that invitation; even if a bloody meteor just hit the planet she would have dragged him to that damn ball, if necessary!

"Well, I am glad to hear that," was the slightly amused reply, and she thought she'd faint right then and there. "Shall I get you at 7.30 pm then?"

"Oh yes, yes, that would be wonderful!"

"Good. I will see you tonight then. Goodbye."

"Bye." Elena echoed breathlessly, fell back into her chair, and stared at her wall for another half an hour in utter disbelief.

*

"Why do you have to go?" Kadaj asked with a crestfallen look for the fifth time now.

Zack sighed, scratched his head, but then he put his duffel back on the black tiles of the entrance hall and crouched down to readjust the boy's school uniform. "I have a new apartment now, you know."

The youngest shot a glance at his two brothers who stood a bit aside, fully glad in their uniforms as well and silently discussing something – probably which book Loz had forgotten to put into his bag this time. Then he looked down at the floor again and announced quietly, so they wouldn't hear, "But… I don't want you to go…"

Things had been fun with the lucky-go-happy soldier around. He kept Sephiroth at bay, somewhat, and Kadaj really, really liked to be with him. Zack didn't treat him like a child but as a friend, and for once he could forget all his misery with the older man around…

"Aw, don't make such a sad face…" The soldier didn't look exactly happy about their departure either, and the smile he forced on his lips couldn't mask that fact at all. He'd come to adore the little rascal so much, there'd be an empty space in his heart now with leaving them. Kadaj didn't even try to look comforted by those words and continued to chew at his bottom lip. He didn't want to cry in front of them all…

Zack heaved a heavy sigh again, but then his features suddenly really brightened and he prodded the boy in the belly, announcing with a wink, "You know what? Tomorrow's Saturday, which means I don't have to work at all. How about I come to visit you?"

"You would?" Kadaj breathed, not daring to hope.

"Of course!" Zack cheerfully announced "I can unpack my stuff later, it's not as important as visiting my second bestest friend, is it?"

Instead of an answer he suddenly felt two tiny arms around his neck, which startled him a bit, but then a small smile graced his features and he returned the hug.

"Are you done now?" Sephiroth entered the hall through the salon, asking the group as a whole and getting three nods and a sighed, "Yeah," from his inferior. The General just gave a curt nod and went for the door to get into his car; but before he was out, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder, announcing diffidently, "I will be late tonight. Do not wait for me."

His eyes briefly met Yazoo's, but then he turned and was gone.

*

Whistling a happy tune he had just spontaneously made up, Zack Fair walked up the stairs to the mansion of his friend, a paper bag with warm, fresh rolls dangling from his loose grip.

The sun was shining brightly into the exotic garden and indicated another hot summer day, though they were slowly becoming shorter as fall came. With a few quick steps the soldier was by the door and just let himself in since he knew that it wasn't locked anyway.

"Hellooooo, anyone here?" he shouted into the large, empty hall, one hand cupped before his mouth to amplify his voice. Actually he had expected quite the welcoming committee from Kadaj, but no one replied to his question.

Frowning, Zack scratched his head and had another confused look through the room, noticing that the kitchen door was slightly ajar. So he went straight for it, hoping to find at least someone up and awake there. Funny thing was that he hadn't expected that Sephiroth would be a late sleeper, but then it certainly was his right to relax from work at least on the weekends. It wasn't that late anyway, or at least 9.30 am wasn't for Zack. Still, he had promised Kadaj to visit him and he was a man who kept his word.

When he entered the kitchen he wasn't met with the littlest, but rather with a thick cloud of smoke and the biting smell of burned eggs.

"What –" Coughing, the soldier went to the stove and frantically grabbed a towel to get the pan from the cooking plate and dump it in the sink. Waving the towel in front of him to get rid of the smoke, he went for the window and opened it wide to get some fresh air in. After he was done coughing he turned around, only to find Yazoo sitting at the table with his back towards him, not even acknowledging his presence as he was staring at something.

"Hey!" Zack called out for him, breathless, dropping the towel on the counter and walking over. "You almost burned the kitchen!"

When he _still _got not reaction, he frowned and stopped behind the youth's chair, curiously bending over his shoulder. "What got you so caught up – .hell…"

He had to blink a few times, but still the headline of the news paper Yazoo was clinging to didn't change. And now he could perfectly comprehend the youth's shock as the big, bold letters told the world:

'_General Sephiroth at the benefit gala for mutilated war victims: who is his beautiful entourage?_'

And directly under it was a picture of the man himself, holding a beautiful, blond woman on his arm.

*

"Enter."

Sephiroth sat aside his biro and looked up from his documents. The door opened and closed quietly, and within the next moment Kadaj stood before his desk, eyes on the ground, biting his lips. Being summoned into the General's office was never a good thing, he had learned that much, but this time he didn't even have a _faint_ idea what he could have done wrong again to expect punishment. So he stuck to looking humble and hoping that it wouldn't get too bad.

"Do you know why you are here?"

Kadaj licked his lips and started to say something, but nothing came out apart from a croaked sound, so he cleared his throat and tried again, fine sweat running down his face. "I'm afraid I don't…sir."

He still didn't dare to look up, even when he heard the man stand up from his seat and slowly walk around the desk. Kadaj's little heart was pounding in his chest, the blood rushing in his ears and he thought that the fear was just about to swallow him whole when Sephiroth reached out for him. Quickly, the boy squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw to not cry out. Instead of the anticipated hit however, something fluffy and warm suddenly pressed against his chest, and the next moment a raw, cold little tongue slid over his jaw, followed by a quiet "meow."

Aghast, Kadaj's eyes shot open as he stared at the – now remarkably bigger – kitten. It took him another second to realize what was going on, but then he grabbed Bernhard and hugged him tightly to his chest, eyes still wide with surprise and shock.

"I figured you might want that back," Sephiroth informed him, watching the happy reunion with a fathomless expression.

Kadaj, just becoming again aware of the other's presence, hurried to look up and reply, "Yes, yes, thank you so much, sir!" He was frantically stroking the slightly starved kitten's soft fur, still trying to comprehend what was happening here. Secretly he already had given up all hopes of ever seeing his kitten again, because despite Yazoo's assurances that Bernhard was probably all right he'd been convinced that Sephiroth had already…gotten rid of it. He just couldn't imagine this cruel man to properly take care of something as fragile and helpless as a kitten.

"You are welcome. You have been a good boy. I appreciate that and it should be acknowledged." The man reached out with his gloved hand again and Kadaj froze in his actions. Of course, he was so stupid. How could he have thought Sephiroth could have only one tiny, kind streak in his body?! He'd thought up this scheme solely for the purpose of tormenting Kadaj, to make him feel safe and happy. And then he'd sadistically strike out, to make the boy even more miserable…

The hand connected with his body, but not in the way he'd anticipated at all. Instead, his head was patted a few times, stiffly, and then he was left alone again. Shell-shocked, Kadaj let out the shuddering breath he'd been holding and relaxed a bit, loosening his grip around Bernhard whom he had pressed to his chest in a defensive manner. His eyes slowly dared to look up at his foster father, who looked just as if he felt as awkward as Kadaj did.

Licking his lips again, the boy stuttered a, "Th-thank you," again, just to not anger the man by lack of gratitudes.

The general just gave a curt nod, his jade eyes still heavily lingering on the boy in front of him. A few seconds of utter silent passed, before he finally straightened and announced, "You are dismissed."

Kadaj quickly bowed down and then left the room with his precious little pet as fast as he could before the man might change his mind.

*

Yazoo had almost reached the end of the stairs when a silver whirlwind came rushing at him, breathlessly shoving something fluffy into his face and excitedly blabbering, "Look, I got Berny back!!! And he's all in one piece! Sephiroth said that I was a good boy and that's why I got him back and that he was proud of me!!!"

Kadaj's face was flushed with excitement and happiness, partly of course because he had back his beloved kitten, but partly also because after months and months of discrediting the General had said a few nice, acknowledging words to him. It filled him with a rather irrational pride, but it was there nonetheless, and it may have caused him to exaggerate a bit, but right now he was the happiest little boy on the planet.

Yazoo however didn't look like he shared his little brother's excitement even one bit, on the contrary. He rather coldly shoved the mewling furball out of his face and walked past the boy without a word. Frowning, Kadaj held his kitten, looking after his brother with a slightly crestfallen expression. He was pulled out of his confused state, though, when he heard a familiar voice calling up to him from the entrance hall, and with a bright smile lighting up his face again, he ran down to introduce Bernhard to his bestest friend.

*

Another knock at the door made the General look up from his work, and with a slightly displeased expression he ordered the suppliant to enter. Things had been so much quieter when he still had been alone in his mansion…

His features went neutral however when Yazoo entered and quietly closed the door behind him. Upon the lack of a tray however, he frowned, asking, "Where is my breakfast?"

"Burned."

"…Excuse me?" The silver haired man watched the calm boy in front of him with an even deeper frown, but then his gaze just wandered back to his papers and he said in a slightly exasperated manner, "What do you want then?"

"It seems you were rather busy last night."

"So I was," Sephiroth replied disinterestedly and wrote a note on one of the reports. Clearly he was not in the mood to discuss the matter with his child now.

"Hn." Yazoo inclined his head and kept staring at his father in a way that would probably have unsettled a lesser man, but not the great General. He deliberately ignored the youth's presence for another few minutes and calmly finished his report.

"Is there anything else you want?" the man finally asked in a slightly irritated tone, his fingers making repeated contact with the smooth surface of the armrest.

The child remained silent for a moment, his fathomless gaze resting heavily upon his father, until he opened his mouth again and slowly said, "Yes."

Sephiroth arched a brow, clearly looking displeased that his silent order of leaving him alone had been ignored. He leaned back in his seat and intertwined his long fingers in his lap, asking nonetheless. "Well, and could you deign to tell me what exactly it is? I am rather busy right now."

"A gun."

The General looked startled for a moment, but then his features drew into something almost disgusted, as he echoed, "A _gun_? What do you want with a gun?!"

Yazoo just tilted his head, never taking his cool eyes from his father. "I simply want one."

Snorting, the silver haired man shook his head, pinched the bridge of his nose and finally waved his hand in dismissal, saying, "Fine. I will see what I can do. Now, go play or whatever it is you do all day long."

He shot him another dark, menacing look, and went back to his files.

The youth silently turned around and was almost out of the door, when his father's voice swept through the home office again.

"Another thing: don't expect me to come to your room."

The only answer he got was the quiet click of the door as it fell closed behind his child.

*

"Hey, watch out here comes the water bomb!" Zack yelled as he sprinted towards the pool and jumped into the crystal clear water, holding his nose.

A huge ring of splashes formed around the hole where he went down and rained down on everything that wasn't fast enough to get away. Kadaj exploded into a new fit of laughter and let the droplets fall onto his face, struggling to stay on the surface as the waves threatened to swallow him. Bernhard indignantly meowed, shaking his small form and stumbled a bit away from the offending pool to clean the water off of his fur.

Sephiroth closed his water bottle, pushed himself away from the balcony door where he had been leaning and observing the actions going on in his garden. He slowly walked across the terrace to the chairs and umbrellas, black sunglasses shielding his eyes from the bright sunlight. His presence didn't go unnoticed, and Zack briefly stroked Kadaj's head, saying, "Hey, go play with Loz for a moment, okay? I'm right back."

The boy didn't look very enthused, but at least he obeyed and slowly swam to where Loz was lounging in one of the corners of the pool. Maybe he could get a rise out of him by asking questions about Tifa. For some reason it seemed to fluster his oldest brother, but it was pretty amusing.

"Hey!" Zack heaved himself over the rim of the pool and grabbed for a towel lying on one of the chairs, before he sat down at a table where Sephiroth had taken a seat. "We weren't too loud and disturbed you, did we?"

"No, you didn't," was the reply, and Zack's worried expression vanished, making place for a smile.

"Great. So, you taking a break or something?"

"Yes, actually I am," the General replied calmly and lifted a brow when he noticed the surprised look of his apprentice. "Something wrong with that?"

"Ah, no no no," Zack hurried to answer and waved his hands on front of him, laughing. "That's great, you can't stay locked up in your office all day anyway, since the weather's so nice and all!"

Sephiroth nodded in agreement and guided his water bottle to his mouth again, taking a sip.

The soldier eyed him somewhat awkwardly and fidgeted in his seat till he couldn't hold back anymore and crawled a bit closer, asking curiously, "So what's up with that girl and you?"

Rolling his eyes, the other man sat his bottle down again and tried to look past the eager face of his soldier to keep an eye on his other two children who had indulged in a water war already. It didn't seem serious though, judging from Kadaj's delighted – and a bit mean – laughter…

"I invited her to the charity ball."

Zack shot him a 'No shit, Sherlock' look, that brought a faint smirk to the General's face, and impatiently waved a hand, "Yeah, yeah, I know that already, I read the newspaper you know." He was graced with another sardonic quirk of the brow, but simply continued in his inquiry. "And, what's she like? What's her name? Is she nice? I bet she is, she's beautiful! Where did you meet her?"

The General had to hold his hands up to calm the flood of questions down, and took a certain delight in Zack's pained expression when he took his time to take up the kitten that had stumbled towards him and prodded for his attention. Setting the furball on his lap and stroking its slightly wet back, he explained, defeated, "Her name is Elena. She is Kadaj's teacher and I met her at the boys' school. And yes, she is nice."

"Oh." Zack looked excited beyond reason, much to Sephiroth's dismay and barely took a breath before he fired his next question, "And, when will you marry her?"

"Excuse me?" the General looked a bit dumbfounded at the question and stilled his movements.

"When will you marry her?" exclaimed the soldier again and just as happily.

"Oh my…" Sephiroth shook his head and held his temple, continuing to stroke the pet. Still, he patiently tried to get some reason into that air headed inferior of his by explaining dryly, "Zack, I only met her and we spent _one_ evening together."

"Yeah, but she's nice," the soldier pointed out with a grin, and leaned back with satisfaction. "The kids like her?"

"I suppose so."

"Great! Hey, can I be the groomsman, yes, yes, yes? I'll even wear a suit, I promise!"

Sephiroth looked up at him with a slightly unnerved expression that was mostly hidden by his sun glasses, but then he just waved a hand in agreement, thinking that it probably was a futile task to try to talk his friend out of the idea.

"I love you!" Zack announced, deeply stirred, wiped away a tear and stood up to attack the poor man with a bear hug. "Come here, you!"

"What…will you let go off me!" bristling, the General freed himself and unruffled his clothes. Zack just sat back in his chair with that bright grin of his and reached for his own glass of orange juice.

"What moved you to go out with her anyway? I mean, apart from the fact that she's nice? Don't get me wrong, but you didn't seem like…you'd enjoy such things, to tell the truth…"

"Really?" Sephiroth asked, frowning. "Well, if I remember correctly it was your suggestion that I get myself company…"

"Hehe, it was, indeed," the soldier replied, proudly stretching a bit in his chair, folding his hands behind his head and holding his face into the warm sun. "I'm really glad you listened to my advice."

"Hm." The General reached for his bottle again and focused his attention back on his children, where Kadaj was sitting on Loz's shoulders and imperiously demanding that the youth go faster by splashing water into his face.

Zack just smiled and let his lazy gaze wander over the beautiful mansion, thinking that he just had seen a silver head by the window and waving at him to come down and join the fun.

However the rest of the day he wouldn't get another glimpse of Yazoo.

tbc

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**Seph´s becoming a good guy (well, he´s trying, but he ain´t doing that bad, is he?) and Yazoo is not amused… oh the possible drama }:)**

**sareyva:** Yes, Vincent is sharp indeed, but maybe he can never prove that Yazoo is the murderer, since all evidence is gone now… We´ll see^^ Zack really is a great guy, I adore him! But at least it seems that his little speech has gotten through to Sephiroth! Hahaha, well, Sephiroth was pretty much an asshole, it´ll be hard for him to get redemption. But it is a start.

**Valitiel:** Yepp, there´s no messing with Vincent XD Well, I suppose that there had to be something to make Sephiroth the man he is now and such a traumatizing experience can do those things… And yes, we shall definitely see more of Zack and Vincent, no worries!

**Aiko Celeste:** Hahaha, Zack and Kadaj are such fun to write, it´s like Zack´s the father/brother figure Kadaj needs, since Yazoo and Sephiroth are somehow epic failures (well, the latter at least tries now). I had the feeling that I couldn´t just make Sephiroth the 'bad guy', that would have been superficial and he certainly has a reason why he is how he is. And yepp, poor Vincent, but maybe he´ll make a comeback ;)

**IA1979:** It will all be revealed, even why Sephiroth adopted the boys. As to the same hair and eye color I´d say that it might be not very common, but still not too outstanding either. There´re a lot of redheaded, green eyed people too, but they aren´t necessarily related^^ I will work on the Sephiroth-Loz relationship, exclusively for you XD Sephiroth makes some efforts to get on better terms with his children now, so he will see that Loz isn´t useless and dumb at all.

**Wildfire Sniper:** I´m glad you like it so far! I put very much effort into the dream scene, because I thought it was a crucial point to the story, so I am very happy it got to you!

**Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, you guys are the best! Now, I do not dare to hope, but maybe, maybe we can make it the next mark before the story is finished…?**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hello~ I can´t sleep and therefore bring a new chapter^__^ It´s not that long this time, sorry, but the next ones will get longer again (actually I´ve finished chapter 31 and 32 mostly, only need to get my ass up for the actual next chapter -_-).**

**I hope you enjoy it, and as always I thank my lovely beta purefoysgirl for the great job she did!**

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29

Three weeks later the little family sat around the table in the dining hall and had their lunch. Zack had also come along, much to Kadaj's delight. He sat sandwiched between his bestest friend and Loz – whom he had slowly warmed up to during the last weeks, though he still refused to forgive him entirely. Once in a while he inconspicuously let some bread crumbs fall on the carpet for Berny to nibble at. The kitten had become a cat now and was rolled into a lazy ball to the feet of his keeper, making satisfied noises as it licked the crumbs from the carpet.

Sephiroth generously ignored the sneaky interaction and helped himself with the sauce. Next to him Yazoo impassively observed Loz wolfing down his serving while he himself only sporadically guided a half-full fork to his mouth. He didn't even pay attention to the on-going conversation until the meal was over and Sephiroth laid his napkin aside to beg for their attention by discreetly clearing his throat.

"I invited Elena for dinner tonight and I wish for you all to be present."

"Awesome! You can count on me, I'll definitely be there!" Zack announced immediately, and excitedly beamed at Kadaj, who seemed equally chipper at the news. He didn't know what exactly had happened to his foster father but he suspected that it was all thanks to his teacher that the General had changed so much. He still wasn't exactly loving and interaction with him felt awkward, but he wasn't hostile either. They had a housekeeper now who would come thrice a week to take care of the chores so Kadaj didn't have to do them anymore. Furthermore, Sephiroth hadn't hurt him once since then. He hadn't even been angry with Kadaj! Though Sephiroth was still rather busy and was seldom at home – and if he was he was mostly in his home office – it was all right. They had their evening meals together and the General would ask how school was going and even had a friendly word for them when they did well. This didn't mean that Kadaj had forgotten what had happened in the past, but he couldn't cling on to his hatred forever, and he was too busy enjoying the current harmony to hold much of a grudge. Besides, Zack visited often, as he had promised, and took his mind off of such things.

Loz however didn't look so enthusiastic and nervously shifted in his seat, throwing helpless glances at Yazoo, who just ignored them. The long-haired youth's eyes were fixated on his father, who either really didn't or choose to not see it. He noticed Loz being uncomfortable however.

"What is it Loz? You already had plans for tonight?"

"Uhm… well… kinda… a bit?" he peeped, voice sounding small.

Sephiroth intertwined his long fingers and arched a brow. "Really? What is it?"

"Yeah, well," Loz scratched his head and stared at his plate, his cheeks flaming as he admitted. "Actually Tifa asked if we could meet…"

"I see," the General said calmly, still watching the fidgeting youth. He looked thoughtful for a moment before he announced, "Well, why don't you ask her to join us then? I would like to meet her."

"Really?" the bulky youth mouthed, dumbstruck.

"Of course," Sephiroth stated matter-of-factly and reached for his water glass.

"Cool!" Kadaj exclaimed, nudging Zack as he saw Loz getting even redder and snickered. "She's really nice and Loz is sooooooooo in love with her!"

"Shut it!" Loz hissed, throwing his little brother a half-hearted glare since he was too busy being embarrassed. "Am not!"

"So are!"

"Not!"

"Are too!"

"Not!"

"All right, that is enough now." Sephiroth held his hands up and silenced them at once with one of his infamous, strict looks. Then his gaze wandered over to his middle child, who still stared holes into his skull, and suggested in a friendly manner, "And why don't you invite that redheaded friend of yours?"

For only a split second Yazoo looked close to someone who'd suddenly been thrown into an icy lake in the middle of the winter, but then his features merged back into the smooth, aloof mask and he replied with a somewhat mean edge, "Maybe I will do that."

"Good," Sephiroth replied, unimpressed, though his eyes weren't as calm as his face. In fact, they were rather cold, but Yazoo didn't have time to analyze it because the man's attention was drawn back to Zack, who just announced, "Hey, what about we have a barbeque-party? The weather's nice and all. I can go and get some steaks, sausages and lemonade. I bet my buddy'll join me eh?"

He winked at Kadaj who, naturally, was as keen as mustard and excitedly bounced up and down on his chair. The soldier looked at his superior for consent and got it in the form of a simple hand gesture to go ahead.

"Great! Now, go wash your hands Kadaj, I'll wait for you outside. Oh, and can you bring some paper and a biro? We can make a list on our way to the grocery store."

"Sure, will do," the youngest shouted from the door and out he was.

"I'll call Tif," Loz announced and was out of the hall as well, pushing the buttons of his cell already.

Sephiroth didn't even deign it worth his time to inform his remaining child where he was going. He simply stood from the table, throwing his napkin on his empty plate, and left with long strides.

Yazoo sat stiffly in his seat, watching his father leave. As he was all alone in the empty hall, his eyes narrowed. This had developed into a full-fledged catastrophe if one asked him – which, unsurprisingly, no one did – but two could play at this game. And so he grabbed for his own cell phone and dialled a number of his own.

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Yazoo sat in his chair under an umbrella on the terrace, impassively holding his orange juice and watching everyone having 'fun' and being hyperactive. 'Everyone' included, so far, Kadaj who impatiently bounced next to Zack, pestering him about wanting to grill a sausage too. Loz tried to calm down his hyperventilating girlfriend, who had almost fainted when she was introduced to Sephiroth as Loz's father. Currently, they were sitting in the shadows by the pool a bit farther away, Loz worriedly holding Tifa's hand while she was taking deep breaths and looking a bit pale.

Sephiroth occasionally spared them a glance or two, but he wisely refrained from coming over as long as Tifa hadn't recovered yet. He stood near the grill with Zack and Kadaj, observing them as well, so that they wouldn't accidentally burn down his beautiful mansion. He wore a dark blue polo shirt now, and black, light pants, silver hair shining in the still powerful late afternoon sun like a waterfall made from pure silver…And he didn't spare one glance for Yazoo.

The woman hadn't arrived yet, so the silver-haired teen let his expressionless gaze wander over to Zack – who wore a ridiculous apron with the words 'kiss the cook' written on it – and Kadaj. The former just told his awed little brother a story about how their ancestors had barbequed what they had hunted just a few minutes before, effectively distracting him from the hot and slightly dangerous fire place.

The table where Yazoo was sitting at was already filled with plates, cutlery and a big bowl of noodle salad Sephiroth had curtly ordered him to make. Though it had been extremely tempting, Yazoo had abandoned the thought of adding a special spice of purge, but this didn't mean that he appreciated the situation at all. No, for now he'd sit back and observe…

"They even hunted bears," Zack importantly told Kadaj, and expertly turned the steaks around so they could get crispy from the other side as well.

"Really?" Kadaj breathed, impressed, and absently took Bernhard up, pressing him against his chest.

"Yeah, really big ones, too," the soldier affirmed with a nod, face very serious.

"How big?" the boy queried, shuffling his feet in excitement.

"Hm, let me think…" Zack said, looking thoughtful and tapping the barbeque fork against his chin. His gaze wandered over to Sephiroth, who stood beside them, arms crossed over his chest and following the conversation with a calm expression. "At least…thrice as big as your dad."

Kadaj's eyes darted over to his foster father, who had arched a brow in scepticism, and then bestowed his attention back on his bestest friend, looking equally as unconvinced.

"You're lying…"

"What?!" Zack pretended to be utterly incredulous and deeply hurt, but then he winked at the boy with an impish smile, "Ah, okay, maybe just twice as huge."

Kadaj gave a chortled laugh at that and was about to reply something, but the sound of wheels driving on gravel cut him off. The three turned their heads in unison and watched the automatic gate close behind the black limousine driving in front of the mansion.

Sephiroth unfolded his arms and went to the car, followed by Zack, who quickly pressed the barbeque fork into Kadaj's hand and told him to watch the steaks for a moment.

Before the two men reached the limousine, however, the driver's door was already opened and Cloud Strife emerged, rounding the vehicle and opening the back door with a straight face and quick, mechanical movements.

Elena had difficulties getting out of the low, soft seat without dropping the bowl of salad she had in her hands, but somehow she managed. She felt a bit uncomfortable with all the luxury suddenly surrounding her. That was, she was used to rich people surrounding her – or at least their children – but suddenly being thrown into that world made her wish she could have a break sometimes to catch her breath…

While she was still busy rearranging her skirt, the young man who had picked her up at her apartment straightened suddenly and saluted with a jagged, "Sir, Miss Elena, sir."

Sephiroth just waved a hand in dismissal at him and bestowed his attention on his flustered girlfriend. "Here, let me help you with that." He carefully took the large ceramic blow out of her hand and pulled her into a brief embrace.

"Thank you," she replied weakly, still not completely sure if this was all but a dream she'd wake up from any minute. It usually was like that only for the first few minutes, though. After that it all went 'normal', meaning she could enjoy herself without fearing an embarrassing fainting fit at any given moment. Today Elena was especially nervous, though, seeing that she was 'introduced' to Sephiroth's family as his girlfriend…hopefully the boys wouldn't think badly of her now…

"Hey there! I'm Zack." A cheerful young man, rather curiously and blatantly looking her up, pulled her out of her worrying thoughts by gifting her with a sunny smile and sparkling eyes.

"H-hello. Elena, nice to meet you" Elena replied, a bit startled, and hurried to take the hand that was outstretched towards her. His firm grip and eager shaking left her a bit breathless, but fortunately Sephiroth saved her with a warning, "That's enough, now."

The teacher withdrew her slightly hurting arm, and leaned closer towards Sephiroth, but she didn't really dislike Zack. On the contrary, he reminded her a bit of an overly lively little puppy, or one of her more clever students.

And surely the young man turned his sunny smile to his second victim after he had been forbidden to molest the young woman and Sephiroth was quietly speaking to her anyway. "Hey Spiky! Lookin' sharp in that uniform!"

Cloud only flinched ever so slightly, but his expression was straight as always and he didn't deflect his saluting position for one moment. "Thank you, sir."

"Ahh, c'mon, don't be like that," the other soldier laughed, clasping the man on the shoulder. "It's weekend, you're off-duty. Not that I don't appreciate you bringing the lovely Miss Elena into our rows," he quickly added, throwing her an adoring look and then murmuring into the blond's ear, "She's hot, man."

Cloud shot him an awkward look, not sure how he was supposed to behave now. Indeed, it had been a personal favour from the General and technically he _was_ off-duty, but he just couldn't slack off in front of his personal hero, could he –

"Hey, I know! Since you're here, why don't you join us anyway? We're barbequing and there's enough for everyone!" Zack suddenly exclaimed, startling Cloud even more. The question wasn't directed at him though, but at the General who simply waved a hand in approval since he was busy with Elena and not listening to Zack's constant blabbering anyway.

"I – it's an honour, sir!" The blond hurried to stammer, taking the hat from his spiky hair and bowing deeply to show his gratitude.

Zack just smiled at him and draped his arm over the young man's shoulder, dragging him behind. "Okay, that's enough with the formalities! Let's get started, I'm starving!"

tbc

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**A party, yay! I wished the weather here was better so I could have one of my own, but then better not... So busy *sigh***

**Valitiel:** Haha, well, yes, pouty Kadaj is a bit manipulative, he´s a clever little guy^^ I wanted to include a bit of his personality from AC already, I hope it worked the right way. You might have seen not only a glimpse of Old Seph there ;)

**Natzilla:** Yay!!! I´m glad you enjoy it now! I can see how you would feel uncomfortable with them, they even scare me sometimes. I really explore their darkest sides here, I guess… I need Zack and Kadaj as 'comic relief', sort of, to not become too angsting, but the draws the contrast between them even more sharply I guess… Well, things are looking better now anyway^^

**IA1979:** I couldn´t resist to let my inner fangirl to partake as well ;) I was just imagineing how I would react if Sephiroth would ever call me, and then the rest was pretty easy to write, haha. Hm, I suppose Sephiroth won´t change from wacko sadist into happy-go-lucky guy in one night, and he probably will never be the latter, but I suppose he´s trying. Yazoo *fingers in his ears*: "Lalalalallalaala, can´t here you :P" Hehehe, maybe he´ll have his own socializer *glances at a certain redhead*

**Wildfire Sniper:** I´m happy you found it funny^^ Zack got a bit too excited there, I´m afraid, but he only meant good of course, and maybe he´s not that off the mark? We´ll see ;)

**Xyleel:** Ola! Uhm, naja, nachdem was er getan hat, wird er wohl nie völlig zum good guy mutieren , da hat er wohl ein bisschen zuviel Mist gebaut... Aber er versucht zur Abwechslung mal, nett zu sein. Und für Kadaj kann das ja nur gut sein, der hat schon genug mit ihm durchmachen müssen. Hm, Yazoo scheint mit der Gesamtsituation eher unzufrieden... Aber vielleicht gibt es ja jemanden, der ihm das austreibt? Wir werden sehen XD

**Purefoysgirl:** *glomps* Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, you made my day! I´d so pass out too, and on the actual date I would get a peep out! You could at least talk to him about the army, I bet he´d be delighted to listen to you! (At least I was XD) And I am happy you found Kadaj´s reaction plausible, I was a bit worried that it would seem a bit rushed… Well, yes, Yazoo doesn´t seem too happy with the situation, but he might just think that he can find himself someone who actually appreciates him… Yeah, Zack *rolls eyes and smacks him as well*

**Review please?**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey guys, new chapter, and it´s 30 already! Many thanks to Chephren for the awesome betaing, enjoy please!**

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30

"Well then I suggest we eat, since everyone is here," Sephiroth said, pulling back a chair for Elena to sit on, after he had put her salad bowl on the table.

Loz and Tifa had joined them now, the latter shyly sitting down with Loz at the other end of the table. Zack had dragged Cloud to the grill, where he was praising Kadaj for taking such good care of the steaks. The blond seemed a bit overwhelmed with the kid suspiciously sizing him up and down, but when Zack told him that Cloud was a friend of his, Kadaj just shrugged and went back to watch the steaks with a concentrated, important look on his face. Cloud´s eyes briefly flickered over to Sephiroth, dimming somewhat, but then Zack asked him to hold a plate where they could put the sausages on to it and so he focused his attention on the task at hand.

"My company isn´t here yet," Yazoo politely pointed out, leaning back in his chair and calmly watching the interaction between his father and his girlfriend. She still seemed a bit nervous at the attention she received, pulling a blond strand behind her ear and then forcing her restless hands to fold in her lap.

"So?" Sephiroth replied non-committally, sitting down on his own chair and reaching for a bottle of orange juice. "Well, if they can´t be punctual it´s their own fault."

Unbeknownst to them, the missing person in question just sneaked up behind the barbequing party standing around the grill.

"Yo!"

Three heads turned around in unison to be greeted by the sparkly presence of one grinning redhead. And quiet impressive he was! His usually touseled, red mane was neatly combed back and he´d somehow managed to get a black suit from somewhere, including a tie. His gaze first fell on Cloud, Zack and Kadaj, the latter two only wearing very casual shirts and shorts. Blankly taking in Zack´s apron he stated somewhat dryly,

"Oops. Seems I´m a bit over-dressed, yo."

"Reno!" Steaks and his important job of guarding them, forgotten, Kadaj flew at him. "Look, I´ve got a kitten!" Breathlessly a rather huge furball was shoved into the startled teen´s face, before he could even do so much as greet the other guests, not to speak of seeing them. "His name is Bernhard Heinrich von Stieglitz The Third, isn´t he awesome?!"

The cat stared the redhead in the eye in a rather bored manner, before it unenthusiastically licked over his nose and gave a lazy mewl.

"Errrh… yeah." Reno carefully shoved the fat cat out of his face, sporting a fake smile to not hurt little Kadaj´s proud kitty-owner feelings. Hugging Berny back to his chest with some difficulties –he´d really gotten rather heavy and big recently- the boy peeped up with excitement, "Oh and Yazzy has a new game, you must play with me later, it´s sooo cool!!! I always win!"

"How about we let Reno settle down first, hm?" Zack had appeared behind the youngest, laying a hand on his shoulder and smiling down at him, trying to calm his exuberance a bit down.

"Oh sure, sorry," Kadaj bit his lip and set Berny down, then swinging his arms

back and forth, not knowing how to channel his happy feelings that seemed to bubble just out of him. "Oh, the steaks!" he suddenly remembered, alarmed, and rushed back to the grill.

"Thanks man," Reno sighed and picked a silver cat hair from his suit. It was only a lender and had cost him his entire pocket money for the month.

"Ah, you´re welcome," Zack scratched the back of his head, laughing, while his eyes followed Kadaj, who had taken the barbeque fork out of Cloud´s hands again, poking their food with critical movements and explaining to the blond Lieutenant how their ancestors had eaten bears that were at least as big as their mansion.

"C´mon, I´ll introduce you to the others, they already got impatient. Hoggish pack."

"Yeah, sorry ´bout that, I got some issues with my… tie," Reno pulled a bit at the item in question –which seemed to have won the argument, since it was simply slung about the redhead´s neck and tied with a simple knot- but then shrugged.

"Hahaha, yes those are vicious," Zack replied, winking, as he led the way to the party. "Did Yazoo invite you?" he then asked curiously, looking back over his shoulder. Reno was more or less still busy with inspecting his suit for possible cat fur, so he missed the look, but replied distractedly "Yeah… he could have mentioned that it was just a casual gathering, I thought god knows what a gala you had here, yo…"

"Don´t worry, you look good," the soldier laughed, looking forward again. "In case it gets too warm you can have my apron, though!"

"Uhm… That´s cool man, but I´m fine I guess," Reno hurried to assure, throwing an alienated, side-long glance at Zack´s frilly attire. He´d rather go naked.

"All right, here we are." Zack good naturedly gestured at the full table and the people sitting around it and finally the redheaded youth tore his gaze away from the hideous cloth the proud soldier was wearing.

"Oh, and don´t worry about Seph, he´s actually a cool guy," the soldier quickly whispered before he smiled back at the group.

Reno looked a bit confused at that, but then he finally saw the Great General casually sitting in his seat, mustering him with a glass of orange juice in hand. If he was surprised, Reno masterfully hid it, is figure going rigid for only a split second at most. Then a brilliant, overeager smile brightened his features, as he greeted "Yo, General!"

"Hello," the man replied calmly, arching a brow at the attire his young guest was wearing. "I´m glad you decided to join us."

"Nah, the pleasure´s all mine, yo!" The redhead bowed down before the lady, who was in utter shock and awe and could only give a short nod. He quickly gave a wave at Loz and Tifa, who mirrored the gesture and then Reno just stood there, looking a bit lost. Sephiroth let him hang there for just a moment before he nonchalantly gestured to an empty chair near Yazoo. "Have a seat please."

"Thanks yo." Reno was about to march over to sit beside his friend when he remembered the manners he´d gotten himself last minute from the etiquette guide he´d nicked from the library, and awkwardly bowed down before the host again.

"And I am deeply grateful for the invitation, I am unworthy of your generosity."

"… You are welcome." Sephiroth blinked, and Elena tried to hide her amused smile behind her napkin. She´d never thought to hear such overly polite words from their school rowdy, but she was very pleased that he seemed to do so well. Recently she hadn´t seen much of him, but she remembered very well the incident in the school yard and his less than friendly encounter with Yazoo. Seeing that the two of them had settled for a truce now and even become friends was a wonderful thing for the both of them, she thought. Reno looked more responsible and tamed now, and Yazoo was less distanced and a bit more approachable.

"Let us start then," Sephiroth finally announced, and as if on command the young men leaped at the food as if they hadn´t gotten anything in days.

Sitting down beside the silver haired youth and greedily grabbing for a piece of baguette, Reno mumbled through gritted teeth but outwardly maintaining his smile, "Could have told me you´re just having barbeque, yo."

Yazoo didn´t even try to hide his smirk as he murmured back in an equally low voice, passing the salad to Loz, "Why, it suits you." His eyes briefly glanced at the youth, before he couldn´t hold back and commented wryly "I like your tie, very creative…"

"Shuddup," the redhead shot back, passing something along (he didn´t even know what it was because he was so busy smiling), and then started to fill his own plate with noodle salad.

"Okay, here come the steaks!" Zack announced, leaning over the table and with Loz´ help making place for a spot to place the plate. Cloud meanwhile was dragged to the party by Kadaj and forced to sit between him and Elena. He briefly nodded at the young woman -who stopped her fork mid-way and returned the gesture- before Kadaj was already occupying him again.

"You absolutely must taste Yazzy´s salad, it´s the best!" the child imperiously ordered, already banking up large amounts of said delicatesse on the blond´s plate. Then he seemed to remember something, and with a quick look at his teacher he added, maybe a bit too loudy, "But Miss Elena´s salad is very, very good too!" And just too prove how good it was he smashed an even bigger portion of Elena´s salad on poor Cloud´s almost overflowing plate.

"Ah, Kadaj, that´s so nice of you to say," the teacher smiled, holding back her laughter at the sight of the slightly overwhelmed Cloud and his blank, befuddled expression.

The boy beamed at her and even moreso when he caught the pleased look of foster father. Still the General finally took pity on his inferior and said into the boy´s direction, who was still mechanically shoveling salad on Cloud´s plate, "I think that is enough now. Cloud can help himself with a second serving later."

"Oh, okay." Kadaj let go of the spoon, looked around for something to do and then jumped off his chair he´d been kneeling on. "I´m going back to help Zack with the steaks!" and off he went.

Cloud stared down at his plate, cheeks painted with a light, rosy colour. This was the first time that the General had called him by his first name! Usually it was just 'Lieutenant Strife'. Really, today must be his lucky day!

He reached for his fork and began to quietly eat. Out of the corner of his eyes, he observed the other party guests while chewing at his admittedly delicious noodles. So these were Sephiroth´s kids… Admittedly he was a bit surprised, he remembered two of them from the school trip a few weeks ago, and of course the redhead. He´d barely been able to restrain himself when the boy had started to attack his superior, but it seemed that Sephiroth was all right with him now. But then again he expected nothing less from his hero… The youngest, Kadaj, seemed a bit wild, but very lively. Not exactly the kind of type Cloud was good at dealing with, but he seemed nice nonetheless. Yazoo, the second brother, was a very pretty boy, but he appeared rather taciturn and a bit reserved. Or at least he hadn´t heard him say anything yet. Loz was a rather strong guy, but still he was very gentle and attentive with his girlfriend Tifa.

Cloud´s eyes travelled over to Sephiroth´s company as he reached for his glass of juice. Elena… A very beautiful woman, well-mannered and soft, as far as he could see. The perfect mother…. He was absolutely no match for her.

"What a beautiful garden you have," she just sighed, letting her blue eyes wander over the exotic flowers and trees and the nice arrangements. The 'garden' was almost a park, with well attended hedges, a beautiful pavilion a bit farther away, sitting right beside a small pond with water lilies.

"Oh yes," Sephiroth affirmed, following her gaze and, reaching for his glass, said, "This is thanks to Loz, he seems to have quite the green thumb."

At the praise, the youth in question stared down at his plate, trying to make himself as small as possible, while at the same time his chest swelled with pride.

"Oh really?" Not only Elena looked delighted, but Tifa as well, as she asked, astounded "Why didn´t you tell me?"

His cheeks were inflamed as Loz muttered, "Dunno, didn´t want to brag, it´s really nothing… I have just fun doing it." Which was the absolute truth, he loved nurturing and watching growing things, but he thought that his buddies from the rugby team wouldn´t really appreciate it, so he kept quiet. Hopefully Tifa wouldn´t tell anyone. At least Reno was too busy tearing at his steak to make a biting comment about it. "Thanks though," he mumbled and hid behind his huge water glass.

"I think it´s really wonderful, you have to show me later!" Tifa smiled, once again astounded how gentle and soft he was for such a big strong guy. But she appreciated it, his honesty. Loz didn´t hide behind an overly manly attitude, he was simply himself and had no need for the silly games other beatniks his age were constantly bragging about. In a way he was very wise to her and he treated her like a true princess. He would never try to persuade her to something that she wouldn´t want. Tifa suspected that it had to be the influence of his father, that Loz had become such a gentleman…

"Oh, by the way," Reno suddenly spoke up with his mouth full of steak, before he remembered rule 36 ("Never talk with your mouth full"), gulped it down, and after, clearing his throat, continued "when I came here, there was this strange red guy sitting in a car before your house, yo."

Sephiroth almost choked on his drink. Cloud jumped to his feet to assist his boss if necessary, but Elena had already bent over to him and was rubbing his back.

"Oh dear, you okay?"

"I´m good," Sephiroth dismissed, setting his glass aside. Cloud reluctantly sat down and simply shrugged as he received the questioning look from Zack, who was still barbequing with Kadaj and telling the boy the wildest stories.

"Please continue, I´m just having a quick look." The General cleaned his hands with the napkin and then stood to leave the garden, failing to catch the fathomless look his middle child threw him.

His long strides quickly brought him to the front gate and really, there was, sitting in his black car, Inspector Vincent Valentine, brazenly staring at his house. Sephiroth´s expression became dark at that, but the guy even had a nerve to tip at his head in greeting when he noticed the General.

One hand in his pocket and face going neutral Sephiroth opened the door and walked up to the car, stopping beside it to look through the open window. "Good afternoon, Inspector."

"Good afternoon to you too, General" Vincent replied politely, leaning a bit to the side so he could see the man better. His notebook was closed now, but still rested in his lap.

"Is there a special reason why you are parking in front of my home on a Sunday?" The silver haired man cut the small talk short and got right down to the matter at hand. He really didn´t have time for this.

"Not really, no. I just enjoy the Gothic Revival architecture." Vincent replied nonchalantly. Of course he didn´t give a damn about the house (even though in another context, he might really have enjoyed the unique style). He just wanted to let Sephiroth know that he was watching him, that the case was by no means closed for him. Admittedly, Vincent took some risks with this, his career could be at stake here, but then he´d never been a career person anyway. He just wanted to find out the truth and let justice prevail and he just happened to be especially good at it. On the other hand there wasn´t really anything Sephiroth could do about him sitting here in his car in front of his house. The streets were a public right and he could stay here as long as he wished.

"I see…" Sephiroth said, looking thoughtful. "How about you come to visit at another time? I´d be delighted to give you a tour, it´s even more impressive on the inside. But you see, right now I have guests, and they feel a bit uncomfortable about you staying here."

For a moment Vincent was very inclined to deny the request, but then he didn´t want to overstretch it. He had brought his point across and Sephiroth´s rather cold eyes told him that the man understood very well why he was here. So he replied, "I would like that very much. How about next week then?" It was probably pointless, but maybe he would find something out anyway. It was a slim chance he´d take, given that there was nothing else to cling to.

"Very well," the General nodded. "How about 1600?"

"Yes, 4 pm is fine with me," Vincent affirmed with a slight nod of his own.

"I wish you a good afternoon then," the silver haired man said, with the faintest of polite smiles that was perfectly mirrored by the Inspector. Then he stepped away from the car and watched Vincent start the motor and slowly drive down the impeccable, perfect street running through the exclusive residential area.

Once the car was out of sight, Sephiroth went back to the party, sitting down on his chair with a calm face. The youths seemed rather unfazed about his absence and listened to something the redhead was talking about (with his mouth full). Probably school stuff.

"Everything all right?" Elena asked with slight concern, laying a hand on his arm.

"Yes, it was nothing, just someone who wanted to ask for directions," Sephiroth assured and continued his meal.

TBC

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**Next chapter we´ll see more of the party and how it´ll proceed. Since I´m busy with tests it might take a bit since it´ll get writen and posted though *sigh***

**Valitiel:** Hahahaha, Sephy on Prosac is such a hilarious thought XD Well, I guess he might just try to be a normal person and start a normal life? Zack and/or Elena might really rub off on him ;)

**Natzilla:** Yeah, the drama, I love it too much to not write it XD I´d be so nervous as well if my bf would introduce me to his father and it turns out to be Sephy o.O I think Zack and Kadaj are a cute (platonic) couple as well, I guess Zack´s a much better brother than Yazoo is, in some ways… And yes, Reno did join the party XD

**Wildfire Sniper:** Thank you, I´m happy you thought they were all IC, especially Seph, since he changed pretty much. I guess he´s more Crisis Core pre-wacko XD

**SHM´s Lover:** Thank you so very much for your elaborate review(s)! You had no email adress added, so I´ll have to answer your questions this way^^ I agree with you, Sephiroth is such a deep characters, there are so many layers of his personality that can be explored, and I try to catch as much of them as I can. He´s a tragic character, I think… As is Yazoo. But things start to change for him as well, and he may have to rethink his way of life as well. He´s got a lot of supportive people around him and maybe they´ll rub off on him ;) And don´t worry for typos and stuff, I had so much fun reading your comments and theories XD I can´t reply to all of them because I don´t want to spoil the story or explain too much since I hope it´ll become apparent within the next chapters^^ But thank you so much for taking the time and sharing your thoughts, once the story is done I can reply to it much more openly!

**IA1979:** Uhm, since I can´t answer your questions, I´ll only thank you for reading and reviewing and I hope, the chapters do answer them XD Thanks!

**Review please?**


	31. Chapter 31

**Finally all my tests are over and done with so that I can update this story a bit more regularly *happy dance* It´s running for almost a year now (only one month left) and maybe I´ll just finish it exactly one year after posting the first chapter XD We´ll see ;)**

**Thanks to my wonderful beta Chephren for helping with this chapter! Enjoy!**

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31

"What´s Volleyball?" Kadaj asked, prying up to Yazoo and clinging to his pants. The four of them had talked about it for a few minutes and how they wanted to play it in the garden.

"A pretty cool game, yo," Reno explained, carefully pulling the youngest away from the long haired brother since he somehow sensed that Yazoo felt uncomfortable with it.

"Oh," Kadaj replied, eyes wide and willingly letting go of the fabric in favor of standing next to Reno. "Can I play it too?" he asked hopefully, making puppy eyes at the four youths.

"Of course you can," Tifa laughed, crouching down to be on eye level with him. The boy looked a bit miffed at that though, he really wasn´t that small anymore!

"You can be on my team yo," Reno offered with a grin that turned into a smirk as he drawled "Provided _Yazzy_ is cool with it."

"_Yazzy_ is very fine with it," Yazoo replied with a sweet smile, "I´m just wondering if your suit is. Green stains are so hard to get out of it…"

Kadaj looked between the both of them, not knowing if he should actually be excited or not, the bickering between them and the underlying tones of it were a bit too complicated for him to follow. Did they actually like each other now or not?!

"Yeah, damn," Reno mumbled, tugging at his jacket and letting it fall back after a miserable look at the fine fabric.

"You can have a shirt and some pants from me," Yazoo offered graciously, and the redhead´s face lit up. "Cool. Okay, while Yaz and I go change, why don´t you teach the brat the rules?" he asked in Tifa and Loz´direction, the former nodding with a smile and the latter just shrugging. Kadaj was in huge dudgeon and had crossed his little arms over his chest, huffing, "I´m not a brat!"

"If you say so," Reno smirked over his shoulders and waved as he followed Yazoo into the house.

He came past the table where the adults were sitting, apparently talking about 'adult stuff' like politics and such, and Reno wouldn´t have minded listening for a bit or even joining, but he´d already promised Kadaj to play with him.

Zack meanwhile had joined the table party and was happily chewing at his steak.

"Really," Elena sighed, glass in hand as she leaned back "I can´t get comfortable with Shinra either. I mean he´s just a puppet for the industry, an opportunist at its best."

"But I suppose the other candidates are even worse," Cloud quietly pointed out, glancing at Zack who was just very audibly sucking his juice through a straw.

Sephiroth just nodded and gave his friend a not so gentle kick against his shin, his eyes darting to his girlfriend and firmly reminding the careless soldier that he was in the presence of a lady.

Zack yelped a bit, but then he just scratched his head with a huge grin and shoved his glass a bit aside, shrugging,

"Well, Seph could do it."

"Do what," the man in question replied with narrowed eyes, very wary of what Zack´s empty head had cooked up now.

"Go for president of course!"

Sephiroth just gave an incredulous snort and sipped at his water, but apparently his other two guests didn´t find this idea half as wayward as he did, on the contrary.

"That´s a brilliant idea!" Elena gasped, her hand on the General´s shoulder.

"The people love and trust you, it´s true, there really is no one better suited for this task!" Cloud affirmed, looking almost excited. Just why hadn´t he thought of that?! Of course the General would be the perfect president, he was a genious in every aspect and he could outwin 10 Rufus´!

"See?" Zack smiled, leaning back in his chair and absently stroking over his full belly.

Sephiroth gathered Elena´s hand and discreetly held it in his own under the table. The young woman couldn´t help the faint blush blossoming on her high cheeks. She loved these little signs of affection from him. He wasn´t terribly affectionate in public which really was no wonder, he had to maintain his image, but still he was attentive and treated her as if she was the most fragile, precious thing…

"I don´t know…" he frowned, not very convinced. His eyes wandered over to the group of teenagers where Yazoo and Reno had joined again, the latter now wearing some sports gear of Yazoo´s that probably was even more expensive than his lent suit. They were currently encouraging Kadaj to get the ball up into the air with Reno showing him the right movements.

"It is not an easy job, there are many responsibilities and I am not sure I am fit for that…"

"Rubbish!" Zack dismissed "You´re just fine, I remember our talks with Gen and Angeal all too well." He laughed at the memory of the heated debates and his awe about savvy Sephiroth having a solution for almost every problem. And it wasn´t just any naïve adolescents blabbering, it was well thought out and really held water. "And really, what can actually happen?"

"Of course, in the worst case scenario I´m just ruining a country," the General replied sarcastically, but immediately his hand was squeezed and Elena replied with warm confidence, "I am sure that won´t happen."

"You have my vote already, sir," Cloud hurried to assure, uncharacteristically passionate.

Seeing himself confronted with an overwhelming majority, Sephiroth just sighed. "Well thank you. I might think about it…"

He didn´t come any farther because suddenly something came flying at them with rapid speed and he jerked up, bouncing the Volleyball back before it could hit anyone on the head.

"Nice catch, General!" Reno breathed, jogging up to the terasse with one flustered Kadaj in tow who shouted "Sorrrry!!!"

Sephiroth threw them a slightly reprimanding look, before he threw the ball back. Before he could sit down again though, the redhead already asked into the round,

"Care to join us?"

Zack immediately was as keen as mustard. "Sure thing, let´s go Seph! Bring it on!"

The General didn´t have time to protest, because his girlfriend was already eagerly dragging him down on the lawn where the rest of the youths eyed them curiously. Of course Cloud followed in hot pursuit, always ready to assist his superior in any kind of battle.

In the end he got to play with Zack, Reno, Kadaj and Yazoo. Against the two girls they had no chance, though Kadaj managed some pretty creative balls. Whenever Zack and Sephiroth got the ball the game would become rather fierce and mean because it seemed that their competitive streak had just been played, and everyone wisely remained away from their spikes. Cloud was torn between being loyal to his team mates and his boss, so he always just played the ball to Kadaj. Loz was afraid to play the ball too hard and hurt anyone, so he didn´t add much to his team´s victory either. Reno was busy helping Kadaj play in the right way and hold the overconfident boy back when he thought he could catch one of Sephiroth´s killer spikes. Yazoo was so busy following the ball with his eyes and counting scores (they had unanimously decided that he was best suited for acting as referee, seeing that he most likely wouldn´t cheat in favor off anyone and was the only one who knew the full set of rules) that he barely partook in the actual game. In the end he had to announce that his team had lost, but it wasn´t with much fervor. Cloud was relieved, Kadaj was sulking, Zack scratched the back of his head and laughed before he went off to cool the black eye he´d gotten from one of Sephiroth´s attacks. Reno was yearning for a cig and fumbled restlessly with his beige designer shirt. Loz and Sephiroth escorted their girlfriends back to their table so they could have something to drink, and naturally Cloud, followed. Kadaj was with Tifa, since she tried to appease him with compliments about his versatile game.

That left Reno and Yazoo alone with the ball. The redhead watched the others leaving and then turned towards the middle child, scratching his head and murmuring in a conspiratorial manner, "Yo, there´s some place where I can have a smoke?"

Yazoo remained quiet for a moment, looking at the others as well, and Reno could clearly tell that he was rather torn between denying and giving in to his friend´s request. Finally he turned and motioned for the redhead to follow him into the bushes. With as much care as possible to not damage the expensive sports gear he was wearing, Reno avoided the snapping branches and with light curses went after Yazoo on the hidden path. Just how big was this friggin garden?! Finally they came to a small 'clearing' that was littered with a few rocks to sit on. Sighing with content Reno slumped down on one of the grey stones and fumbled his pack of cigs from his pocket, completed with a lighter.

"How did you get that in there?" Yazoo lifted a brow and after a moment sat down beside the redhead who had patted on the empty space beside him.

"An addict's secret, yo," Reno smirked, and held his palm before the flame to lit his cig. "You want one?" He held the package towards the other youth, a questioning look on his face.

Yazoo eyed the item for a moment with a side-long glance and then reached out, but it was sneaked away quickly, the red-head sporting an incredulous expression.

"What the hell, yo?! You can´t smoke, that´s bad for your health!" he stuffed the package away, shaking his head and taking a deep drag from his own cig, giving the silver haired teen a reprimanding look that seemed rather sincere. "Don´t start it, it´ll kill you some day, yo."

Yazoo blankly stared back at him, clearly surprised by the reaction but then withdrew his outstretched hand, only wryly lifting a brow and saying nothing in return.

"So, your dad got himself the blond chick, eh?" Reno observed, thoughtful, and then sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping down. "Too bad yo, she´s hot…"

All he received was a snort and a deviant look, as Yazoo watched the green grass beneath his feet, clearly having his own opinion about his father´s girlfriend.

"Don´t tell me you´re one of those kids that get all bristly when daddy takes home a new mom." The redhead laughed, taking another drag and leaning back, watching his class mate from the side.

Yazoo just lifted a brow and kept his stubborn silence. Reno chuckled at that, shaking his head again and flipping the ashes away.

"Never figured you had such a childish streak within you," he chortled and smiled wryly at the pout and the rather cold look he got in return. "Gah, don´t be like that! I didn´t want to make fun of you, yo. I understand that, kinda… You know, if ya wanna talk about it ya can call me any time, you have my number," the red-head laughed, trying to appease his friend, but the pout was still lingering on the youth´s face and he looked like calling Reno´d be the last thing that´d ever come to his mind.

"Awww, you´ll get over it, yo. I bet at least when you got your own girlfriend." He paused and then leaned over, looking rather curious, "You don´t have one, do you?"

"Of course not," Yazoo stated matter of factly, rising a brow at him.

"And why´s that? I mean you´re pretty, you could get a nice one if you tried and be _a bit_ more sociable," the other returned dryly, watching the grey smoke crawl from his lips and squinting a bit as he did so. "You know, I think that Aeris-chick has the hots pretty bad for you, she keeps staring at you all the time… Strange you didn´t notice yet, I mean it´s really rather persistent!" Well, maybe it was more that she shyly glanced at him every now and then, but for Reno it was as obvious as a pink elephant in a china shop. But then, on the other hand, they were talking Yazoo here, so it probably was no wonder he was so oblivious…

"Well, maybe I have other things to worry about?" A defiantly arched eyebrow confirmed the redhead´s suspicion and he sighed, before his expression turned smug.

"Yeah, maybe you do…" he paused, sizing the teen up and down, taking in the immaculate appearance, long hair, feminine features, and smirked, "…but maybe you just swing the other way… do you?"

He was graced with an even frostier look that turned fathomless the next moment. "And what if I do?" It didn´t sound offended, a bit challenging and teasing maybe, but not as if Reno had gotten under his skin with the question. Other people his age would have been scandalized and hurried to deny even the assumption at being gay, but of course Yazoo just had to be different in every way.

Reno pretended to be majorly creeped out, attempting to shirk away, but then he smiled, simply shrugged, sucked at his half smoked cig and watched the other from out of the corner of his eye.

"Nothing, fine with me, whatever you feel comfortable with, yo." Scratching the back of his head, he suddenly looked rather serious, all the playfulness gone. "Het´s so overrated anyways…"

"Says the biggest Lothario in the district," Yazoo retorted dryly, but the acid in his voice was missing.

Shrugging again, Reno took one last drag and flipped the cig into the bushes and looked up into the rosy, blue sky. The sun was going down and the first few stars blinked down at them from the firmament.

The red-head just lazily shrugged again. "Gender doesn´t matter. I have eyes and can appreciate beautiful things when I see them." His azure eyes darted up to Yazoo, but if it was because he waited to see a reaction or if it was a silent, meaningful message was very open to interpretation.

"Hn." Yazoo tilted his head, looking back with something akin to irony sparking in his emerald eyes. "Talking is pretty easy, I suppose. I still doubt you´d actually do it."

"What, do it with another guy?" Reno narrowed his eyes, searching the other´s face. "True, I never did it, but this doesn´t mean I wouldn´t…"

"Sure." Yazoo snorted and rolled his eyes mockingly at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You don´t believe me?" It sounded almost challenging. "Try me, yo!"

Tilting his head, the silver haired youth observed him with fathomless eyes, before he turned away. "You wish."

"Maybe I do yo," he smirked, before he suddenly leaped forward and gently but firmly gripped Yazoo´s chin, their faces so close to each other as never before. "You ain´t chicken now, are you?"

"Certainly not," was the smug reply, though his heavy gaze wasn´t smug at all. Rather anticipating, and a bit excited maybe? Reno couldn´t say, but he didn´t care either and he closed his own, moving his head forward to capture soft, parted lips in his first gay kiss…

"What are you doing here?"

Reno abruptly drew back, his head sharply turning towards the little path between the bushes, where the deep voice had come from. And surely there stood Sephiroth, narrowing his eyes against the sun, one hand in the pocket of his pants while the other was shielding his face.

"Uhm, nothing sir," Reno mumbled, scratching his head. "He just… he got something into his eyes an´I was helping to get it out…" he pointed with his thumb over his shoulder towards Yazoo, looking exactly like someone who´d been caught doing something forbidden. Yazoo on the other hand just calmly sat on his rock, not even batting an eyelash.

Sephiroth didn´t look very convinced, when his suspicious gaze gave any indication of what he thought about the quickly cooked up story, but then he just answered. "It is getting dark, you shouldn´t be out here alone. We can take care of it inside the house. There´ll be more light."

"Sure thing." The red-head jumped from his rock and his companion stood as well, to follow the general back to the house. When they approached the mansion, bright colours sparkled in the semi-darkness, where the others were having fun with a small firework. Kadaj was already waving at them and came running down the terasse, two sparklers in hand he gave to Yazoo and Reno. The two youths stood with the others, watching as Zack launched a few fireworks that exploded into every possible colour against the nightsky.

"We´re not done yet, yo," Reno mumbled inconspiciously, scooting a bit closer. Yazoo simply nodded, holding his sparkler and tilted his head as another firework lit the sky with a loud bang.

*

"Morning Yaz!" Zack greeted, as the silver head came down to the hall. The soldier had slept here after he had driven everyone home, including Elena. Luckily it was a holiday today, but still Sephiroth had announced that there was something important he had to take care of first thing in the morning. And it was no wonder really, because the headlines of the morning paper had gone head over heels, screaming at the reader that something spectacular had been found out. Right underneath the headlines was a picture of Sephiroth, having barbeque in the circle of his friends and more importantly, his _family_! Or at least that was what they suspected and the wildest theories and rumors were being discussed already. Somehow the paparazzi must have made it inside the estate, taking pictures while the family was having diner without them noticing anything. It wasn´t that much of a surprise, since Sephiroth had shown up with Elena in public there was no other topic in the media, but it was unfortunate and annoying nonetheless, and frankly, Zack hadn´t expected the media to be so bold as to invade the General´s private estate like that. Well, obviously he´d been wrong. Now the bunch of them, meaning a sleepy Kadaj in his pyjamas, Loz and he were sitting on the couch in the living room, their bowls of cereal in their hands and waiting for the press conference that had been announced on TV.

Yazoo knew nothing about it yet. "We got breakfast here today, come and join us!" the soldier invited, patting on a free spot on the couch and filling an empty glass with juice already.

The silver head looked back at the kitchen but then gave a mental shrug and joined the party on the sofa.

"Hey Yazzy," he was greeted by the littlest, who skidded a bit aside to make place. Loz just gave a grunt in greeting, but then his gaze went immediately back to the tv and he mechanically stuffed his mouth with cereal. Even Kadaj was too busy focusing his attention on the flashing pictures, making Yazoo arch a brow.

"What is going on her-"

"Shhhhhhhhhh!" he was interrupted and then Kadaj impatiently ordered into Zack´s direction "Turn the volume up, it´s starting!"

The soldier did as he was told, staring at the screen in fascination and so Yazoo followed their example and watched the TV.

There was nothing spectacular yet, only the sign of the news announcing a special about a press conference. Then the picture changed though, and behind a lectern the proud, uniform clad and serious figure of his father was shown. Some spotlights from the attending journalists flashed up, but after a few seconds, the murmuring ebbed and the General got their attention.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I thank you all for coming on such short notice," he said, back straight, expression indifferent. "The reason for this press conference is an important announcement I have to make."

Yazoo blinked at that, before his gaze went over to Zack, seeking for answers, but the soldier was just staring straight ahead and didn´t even notice him, so the youth had to look back as well.

"The reason why I called you here is," the General made a pause and the tension and suspense was killing everyone, before he finally dropped the bomb, "because I decided to candidate for president in the upcoming elections."

Not only the living room was deadly silent for a moment, the conference room was so quiet as well, that a pin being dropped could have been heard. Then the questions and flashing lights started anew though and Sephiroth had to hold his hands up again to calm the bulk down, saying into the microphone, "Please, calm down. Further information about my political program will be available within the next few days… Any questions so far?"

Immediately a few dozen hands shot up and Sephiroth just randomly picked one of them, looking utterly confident and unfazed. "Yes please?"

"What about those kids that were with you yesterday? Is it true that they are your children, they´re a spitting image of you, surely you can´t deny that you are related?"

The General remained calm at the question, he had probably anticipated it anyway. "I do not deny anything."

"He´s talking about us," Kadaj said breathlessly, grabbing for Yazoo´s and Loz´ hands and squeezing them.

"Indeed, these three are my children. We are not related by blood however. I adopted them about a year ago, they are children orphaned by war and they needed a home. This was not supposed to be made public since they should grew up as normal as possible. However, it seems that nothing escapes the hawk eyes of the press." This was said in a rather sardonical way, but still the man remained polite and calm. "Next question. Yes?"

Another journalist stood up, notebook and biro ready in hands.

"Is there any truth to the rumours that you will marry your partner soon?"

"I cannot say if there is any truth to this rumour yet, but I will not rule that possibility out." Sephiroth replied dismissively, as Cloud Strife stepped forward, whispering something into his ear. The General straightened and said into the mic. "Well, I am afraid our time is up now, I thank you all for coming."

For another second it was show how the man was leaving the scene and how the journalists stood up, taking photos and screaming their unanswered questions into the room, before the news sign was shown again.

Just at that moment, a phone was buzzing and Zack jumped, giving them an apologetic look and excusing himself to leave the room.

Once he was outside, he flipped the phone open and answered it with a careful, "Yes?"

"What the hell is going on?!"

"Oh, good morning, Mister Shinra," Zack laughed, scratching his head. "How are you?"

"How I am?!" was the tightly spoken reply. "Did you watch the press conference?"

"Of course I did!!! Isn´t that awesome? Now we don´t have to worry about a coup d'état anymore! Actually this was my idea, sir, I suggested that he should go for president." A proud smile formed on the Lieutenant´s lips as he pushed out his chest a bit, awaiting praise and congratulations.

"You. IDIOT!!! Now I have to take him on in the elections! You just ruined my sound win!" was not the answer he had expected, though, and before he could stammer his confused apologies, the line was already cut and he could only stare at his cell in utter consternation.

Meanwhile Yazoo had withdrawn as well, leaning against the closed doors of the salon, quickly pushing the numbers of his own cell. It kept ringing for a while but then the other end was free.

"It´s me, Yazoo. Remember that you said I could call you? I need to talk to you."

Tbc.

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**Muwahahaha…ha… evil cliffy ;)**

**Valitiel:** Haha, yes, all that was needed for Kadaj to make his dad pleased with him was a comment about how delicious Elena´s salad was. Easy to satisfy, I´d say XD Yes, I suppose Cloud has romantic feelings for his boss *sigh* Not that he´d openly admit it…

**Incog Nito:** Yay, I think in this chapter what you suggested just happened, in a way, but Sephiroth had to interupt it -.- I suppose Cloud doesn´t even really try to get close to Sephiroth other than pleasing him by fullfilling every task at best. Ah yes, sadly Loz is all Tifa´s now, but I can still introduce you if you want ;)

**Natzilla:** Uh-oh, don´t hate Vincent, he´s just doing his job XD I´m glad you can imagine Kadaj to do this, this means he´s not too OOC ^^ Well, rivalry between Elena and Cloud I don´t know, but Cloud does his best now to shine and catch the General´s attention!

**Thank you for reading and reviewing you three!!! *offers cookies and Whiskey***

**Review please?**


	32. Chapter 32

32

Vincent closed the door of his car, his gaze wandering over the bleak parking lot and the run-down motel. Beside his own vehicle there was only a black bike parked before the red door with the number 113. Yazoo…

His eyes lingered on the splintered wood for another moment, then he forced his feet to move and walked over the gravel to knock against it. Surely he was bid in by a muffled, low "It´s open."

It was rather dark in the room, since no lights had been enflamed, and the deep, cloud pregnant sky didn´t spend much light from the outside anyway. The inside was furnished only scarcely with a shabby bed, an old commode and an almost blind mirror hanging on the wall behind the dresser Yazoo was leaning against, arms crossed over his chest. He wore a black, sleeveless turtle-neck and black pants stuck into boots of a matching colour. A leather jacket was lying on the dresser… Vincent thought that the rather mature clothes didn´t fit Yazoo´s still boyish features, making him look even younger and somewhat fragile. It did suit his eyes though.

Closing the door behind him with a small clicking sound, Vincent remained by the door. "So, here I am. What do you want to talk about?"

Yazoo shifted only ever so slightly, his long, fine hair waving a bit as he gestured towards the bed for Vincent to sit on, getting more comfortable. The Inspector denied the invitation with a slight shake of his head though, keenly eyeing the tilting of Yazoo´s head and the question in his eyes.

"Shouldn´t you be at home, celebrating with your father?" he finally spoke up, slightly unnerved by the boy´s continued silence.

"And why would I be doing that?" Yazoo retorted, looking up at the man from behind his fringe.

Vincent shifted his weight onto the other foot, still observing the youth. Something was different about him now, it was as if he didn´t try to conceal the coldness oozing out of every pore of his being anymore… Though this wasn´t quite it either.

A bit wary now, Vincent kept his eyes on Yazoo, but abandoned his rigid posture in favor of a more relaxed one. Sighing, he put up his own act, and made a step into the room, asking again,

"Why did you call me?"

"I have something to talk about," the silver head informed him, averting his eyes and staring at the spotted, dirty carpet. "I want to offer you a deal."

"A deal?" Vincent replied, making an astonished face. He was quite surprised to tell the truth, but he wouldn´t allow Yazoo to pull him off-balance.

"I know that you don´t believe that Tseng died of a natural death…" Yazoo continued, almost shyly, as he prodded with his foot at a stain on the carpet, still not meeting Vincent´s gaze.

The Inspector remained silent for a moment, carefully weighing his options, before he finally admitted, "You are right, I do not believe that. In fact," he made another step into the room, casually closing the distance between them and looking a bit friendlier as he let the bomb drop, "I think someone killed him."

There was no reaction from Yazoo, and Vincent added softly, "But you already know that, don´t you?"

The youth kept staring at his spot on the carpet for another moment, before he lifted his gaze up. "Hn."

"And you also know who did it, don´t you?" Vincent inquired, carefully. His heart was racing in his chest, adrenalin sharpening all his senses. The dusty smell of the room suddenly became almost overwhelming, and out of the corner of his eye he could see a fly hectically crawling over the dull wall paper but he ignored it. He was so close to getting a confession out of Yazoo, he couldn´t allow himself to mess up now! Concentrate at the task at hand…

"Please, you can tell me. That´s why you called me here, isn´t it?" 'Get it out of your system, Yazoo…´Vincent silently urged, though he maintained his friendly, calm façade. His gaze held Yazoo´s captivated, refusing to let go, forcing him to confess.

Another heavy, black cloud crawled over the low sky like a bloated, poisonous insect. The silence was deafening, suffocating every sound, every breath, every thought. It seemed to stretch into eternity, but it was sharply cut short, as Yazoo finally replied in his deep, clear and utterly emotionless voice,

"I did it. It wasn´t my idea though, he made me do it."

A shuddering breath left Vincent´s lungs flat and aching, his mouth feeling dehydrated.

"Sephiroth?"

"Hn," Yazoo affirmed and finally withdrew his empty eyes again to look back at his invisible spot on the carpet. His posture tightened a bit and it seemed just as if he was hugging himself, holding on to his thin figure.

"So everything Kadaj wrote was the truth, wasn´t it?" Vincent pressed further, falling heavily onto the squeaking mattress and briefly burying his face into his hands, trying to process what he´d just heard. Of course he had suspected, in an intuitive way even _known, _but still, to hear it! He was in a room with a murderer of the tender age of 14 and Yazoo didn´t even bat an eyelash!

"More or less…" The youth shifted a bit, still leaned against the dresser and looking somewhat atrabilious. "Tseng found out. He wouldn´t leave it alone and _he _said I had to kill him."

"I see," Vincent said with a bleary voice, trying to maintain his calm. It was slowly starting to slip from him like from a too smooth surface; he was in an inner turmoil. He had too much routine doing these things though, and so he shoved everything emotional that could get the better of him back into the deepest pits of his soul. "How did you do it?"

"Poison. _He_ gave me a sample of some newly developed, military toxin. It doesn´t leave any traces. Tseng drank it with his tea, he never saw it coming."

"I believe that," Vincent replied dryly and with hidden discomfort. With the boy´s acting skills no one probably thought him capable of such things. Save for Vincent, and Sephiroth of course.

"I am willing to make a testimony in court against him. I even have a bit of the poison left, it should suffice as evidence?" Yazoo cocked his head in question, serenely looking back at the man with unblinking eyes.

"Yes, that should be enough to put him behind bars for a long time," the Inspector said grimly.

"My brothers can add a few things to the list, I am sure I can convince them to confide," the youth offered, before his gaze became sly and he nonchalantly added "Of course I will go unpunished, seeing that I was forced to do it and am still underage. And don´t worry, I can put up a pretty convincing shattered, guilt ridden little boy."

"I wouldn´t worry about that..." Despite his fathomless expression, a cold shiver ran down the man´s spine at the coolly spoken words. Didn´t Yazoo feel anything about his murder _at all_?!

"So, that is the deal? You make a confession and will go unpunished?"

"Partly, yes. There is another condition." Yazoo pushed himself away from the dresser and started to slowly come up towards the Inspector, the dull light making his skin even paler, almost translucent. That was it, Vincent thought sadly, Yazoo was nothing more than a ghost of a human, an empty shell that lacked all the warmth, all the affection, all the passion. He had faced so many killers in his career and the vast majority of them were driven by deep emotions, no matter how despicable the crime. There was anger, jealousy, despair, greed… But Yazoo seemed just hollow, and not even in a sad way. It wasn´t the cause of shock either, that much Vincent could tell. This was far too calculated, too brilliant to be the result of a broken mind… Well, maybe Yazoo was broken in another way. It seemed that Sephiroth had done a good job to grind off every empathy to lay open a polished, emotionally unaffected mind.

"And what might that condition be?" he asked, calmly looking up at the young man and resisting the urge to back away. Yazoo sat beside him on the bed, hands folded in his lap as he observed them. "I want you to take care of me and my brothers."

That now startled the man, and his face went blank for a moment. His confusion didn´t escape Yazoo´s perceptive senses and he explained, stroking over a wrinkle on the bed sheets,

"Once Sephiroth is gone he will loose guardianship as well. You seem reliable. After the trial and all the stress they´ll be put through, Kadaj and Loz will need a safe haven, someone who can take good care of them and give them some rest… "

"I see." Vincent had a side-long glance at the boy as he sat there, looking somewhat… lost. Maybe there was still hope? If he got Reeve to have a closer look at his psyche, there maybe was a chance to get a normal child out of him… Straightening, he finally agreed, with a "Very well then. I think we have a deal." He felt slightly guilty at lying to Yazoo, because of course he couldn´t take care of the brothers by himself. Apart from the fact that he was no good with kids and had no place in his life for three of them, the Division of Family Service would never agree to such a deal of course. And getting Sephiroth was his first priority, even if he had to break a promise…

"Good." Yazoo smiled a faint smile. "Then there is only one last thing I have to request."

"What is it?" Vincent simply asked, growing a bit tired. All the tension was wearing on his nerves and he didn´t know how much longer he could take it. He had to maintain his cool, though, as long as they weren´t done yet. So far he had nothing but Yazoo´s word on it, he couldn´t lose the boy´s trust until everything was done and over with.

"Fuck me."

Vincent was truly speechless for the first time in a long while. It seemed that time had stopped somehow and he was almost sure he had just misheard. The searching of Yazoo´s placid expression did not bring any results either, so he just thickly asked "What?"

"Fuck. Me." Yazoo repeated just as languidly as before, watching unfazed as Vincent´s expression turned from confused to utterly appalled and disgusted.

"Are you out of your mind?! Why would I do that?!" He had unconsciously stood up from the bed in a fluid movement and drawn away from the boy. What the hell was going on here?! Was Yazoo just testing him ?! He certainly hoped so, or otherwise this kid was much more wacko than he had thought!

"Why, I have to make sure that you can take good care of me." Yazoo cocked his pretty head, blinking lazily. "Otherwise I´d have no reason to leave Sephiroth, hm?"

At the seriousness of Yazoo´s words, Vincent simply lacked a reply for a moment, but then his jaw tightened and he declared with steely determination,

"I certainly will not touch you!"

"Oh?" Yazoo lifted a brow and observed his nails. "And here I thought you wanted Sephiroth behind bars sooo badly." With a light snort, he gave the man a cool side-long glance, clearly displeased by Vincent´s strong, negative reaction. Then his disapproving expression vanished though, and made place for another small, lenient smile.

"Just think about it, Vincent," he purred the man´s name as he slowly got up and with predatory movements crept towards the Inspector. "Isn´t it such a small price to pay considering the gains? He´s mocked you, ridiculed you… He offered his help, knowing perfectly well that you wouldn´t get him… He put every imaginable obstacle in your way… Laughed at you…" Yazoo had closed the distance between them, standing face to face with Vincent and looking up at the man through heavy lids and long lashes. Their shadows melted on the dirty carpet and Yazoo´s eyes gleamed in a strange, opal blue colour as he sneaked his long fingers up Vincent´s chest without the man resisting.

"Who knows what else he has done in the past, how many people had to suffer because of him… You can´t let that go unpunished, can you? This is most likely your one and only chance to get him. And well, maybe you come to like it… Actually I am pretty sure you will, I have been told that I am rather good…" Rolling up to stand on the tip of his toes, the youth came so close to Vincent´s face that their lips almost brushed against each other. They could feel each other's breath ghosting over their skin; one laboured and tight, the other slightly shuddering and excited. Vincent was just about to awake from his paralyzed state when the youth suddenly moved forward and captured his lips, clinging to Vincent´s jacket. At the same time, he let himself fall back and the Inspector was too surprised to take countermeasures and keep his balance. With a muffled shout of surprise, he fell onto the silver head, giving him the opportunity to slip his wet, swirling tongue into his mouth. Vincent was so surprised that his body reacted before he could, and started to automatically reply to the kiss. His hands had the boy pinned to the mattress, their black and silver hair spilling on the sheets. Yazoo looked up at him with complacence, and Vincent could feel him smirk against his lips as he started to suck on his lower lip, sensually writhing underneath the man´s hard body.

"You don´t have to be so shy," the youth breathed, letting go off Vincent´s mouth. "I like it rough. It makes me feel…"

It were these words and the slender knee, brazenly rubbing against his legs and forcing him to open up that made Vincent snap out of it.

"Enough!" he hissed, shoving Yazoo back into the mattress and freeing himself from his grasp. With narrowed eyes he stood before the bed, panting and glaring at the smirking boy through his dishevelled hair.

"Ah, see, you want it just as much as I do. You kissed me back." Yazoo had rolled on his side, head propped on one hand as he observed the infuriated man with an arched eyebrow and an ironic smile. "Don´t fight it. You´ll get used to it."

Vincent turned wordlessly on his heels and stormed towards the door. He needed to get out of this madness, or he would snap!

"You know what the funny thing is? He might actually really have changed…"

That, and an amused, utterly mean chuckle was the last thing Vincent heard before he was back out in the stifling, thundering evening.

*

Reeve looked up from his notebook, frowning at the loud banging against his door. Sighing, he removed his glasses, laid them aside and stood from his desk to answer the late visitor.

"We are already clos- Vincent!" Surprised, the psychologist made a step back and let the agitated man enter. "Wha-what happened?"

Concerned, Reeve followed the man back to his office, as he wordlessly shoved past him and went straight for the therapist´s mini bar. After he had downed a full glass of scotch he refilled it again, but closed the lid of the bottle. Heavily falling onto one of the chairs, Vincent buried his head in one hand, the other clinging to his crystal glass. All the while, Reeve stood in the corridor, mouth hanging open, but finally he closed the door behind him and walked over to the leather sofa to take his seat opposite Vincent.

They sat in silence for a few minutes and Reeve patiently waited for his agitated friend to calm down a bit, let the alcohol take effect. Finally he leaned forward, carefully laying one hand on Vincent´s arm to get his attention and asking, "You want to tell me what happened?"

The raven haired man looked up at him through vacant eyes and Reeve was almost certain that he wouldn´t get an answer but then Vincent opened his mouth and he spoke.

He told the therapist everything, how Yazoo had called him, how he had confessed, about the deal. What he didn´t tell though, was how disgusted he felt with himself that he had Yazoo let get the better of him, even if just for a moment. How his body had reacted on itself for that split-second. It didn´t help that he told himself that he´d been overwhelmed and reacted on instinct…

"Good gods…" Reeve sadly shook his head and leaned back to reach for the mini bar and get a much needed drink himself.

"He´s like a parasite," Vincent snorted darkly, taking another sip from his scotch, and continued to stare back at the golden liquid. "Sephiroth tossed him aside now that he is going for president, and the little runt searches for a new host he can exploit and feed off, until he has destroyed them and moves on to the next one. He doesn´t feel guilty about his crime at all, I am positive he doesn´t even care about it."

"What are you going to do now? Surely you won´t oblige to his deal?" Reeve asked, studying the man in front of him with worried eyes.

"Of course not." Vincent shook his glass a bit, watching the golden liquid within spilling against its glass cage. "I need to get the General though. I will stall Yazoo until the case is closed. He will present me Sephiroth on a silver platter. And then I need your help." He sharply looked up at the therapist, who flinched a bit.

"And how can I be of help?" Reeve asked softly.

"I can´t bring a charge against him, he is my prime witness, still underage and I am certain no court will convict him when he comes up with his heartbreaking story." The man gave a hollow, listless laugh, shook his head and continued. "After the things that happened to him, there is no question that a therapist will be assigned to him, and I want that to be you. I don´t trust anyone else with this, that kid might even manage to fool a shrink."

Reeve only nodded his consent. After all he´d heard and seen about Yazoo, he had to admit that the boy was rather skilled at deceiving people.

"And then I want you to lock him up in a madhouse and make sure that he under no circumstances will ever see the broad daylight again."

The therapist looked a bit taken aback at the grave, bitter tone of his friend, but if what Vincent had told him was true, there certainly was no other option than to do just as he had suggested. So he took a long sip from his scotch, sat his glass aside and folded his hands, saying formally,

"I will see that he´s been taken care of."

*

_"Yes?"_

"Yazoo, this is me…" Vincent paused for a moment, thinking that it probably was better to get a little more intimate and gain the boy's trust by adding his first name "Vincent."

_"Oh. Good evening Inspector. What is it." _Sounded a bit cool.

The Inspector rubbed his temple, before he replied, "I wanted to apologize for my sudden departure. I hope you didn´t get the wrong idea, I am still very much interested in our deal."

There was a brief pause, then _"The whole deal?"_

Gritting his teeth, Vincent took a deep breath. It all was up to that one word, one little word that had to be so convincing that Yazoo wouldn´t suspect the trap.

"Yes."

Had it been too shaky? Too eager?

…

Why didn´t Yazoo reply? Should he ask if the boy had heard him? Would that be too tellin-

_"Good."_

Still coolly spoken, but Vincent didn´t miss the slight triumph and satisfaction seeping out from underneath.

"Will you come to my office then tomorrow, so we can hear your confession?"

_"Hn. I have school tomorrow, I will come after that. How about 4 pm.?"_

"Great. I will see you then. Good night."

_"Good night."_

-click-

*

tbc

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**First off, I´d like to thank Chephren for doing such a terrific job with the betaing again! Second: I think we are nearing the end of this story. Third: ... I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Valitiel:** Yes, the secret is out! And you´re right, now they´ll get more attention, but I suppose they have bodyguards and stuff and in the area they live they´ll be pretty save. I bet Cloud wasn´t happy when he heard the news about the possibility of marriage, poor guy XD

**Incog Nito:** Ah, you´re welcome! (about the cookies and Whiskey). I wouldn´t play volleyball against Sephy, no one in his/her right mind would XD So I guess Zack´s lucky he got away with only a black eye... Hah! You can try bribing the voters with cookies, so they vote for Rufus, I´d certainly be affected *luffs cookies too much* Haha, don´t worry, I´d totally pass for pervy, old woman as well XD And yes, if it comes down to it, Cloud could be seen as an ass-kisser indeed...

**natzilla: **Sephiroth interrupted because he is... Sephiroth? Or maybe he was worried about their whereabouts? Hm... thiss still doesn´t excuse the fact that he did interrupt the kiss *coughs and smacks Sephy*

**Soyna:** Ah, don´t worry, all your questions will be answered sooner or later! I don´t want to spoil anything, so I can´t tell you just yet, but I´ll give my best to update soon!

**IA1979:** Oh yes, Sephy does know how to drop a bomb XD Hahaha, well, and poor little Zacky is a bit naive where politics are concerned, he thought he had found the ultimate solution XDDD Rufus isn´t happy right now... I´m happy you enjoy it so much, I´ll try to update soon!!

**skippydog1:** Here´s your update, I hope you enjoy it!

**Many thanks to everyone who read and reviewed!!! *hands out pretty little election posters of Sephiroth to every reviewer***


	33. Chapter 33

**Hey there! Sorry for the wait, this chapter had actually been written for a while, but I was on vacation in Japan (and bought a super mega-awesome Sephiroth Kingdom Hearts Figure *squeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal*)and didn´t have time to post. But I hope you´ll like it anyway! Many many kudos to Chephren for the wonderful betaing, you rock!**

**Enjoy!!!**

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33

Vincent entered the police station with far too shaky legs, which didn´t actually come from his anxious nervousness and impatience for time to go by till the runt would pay him a visit. Actually he was suffering from quite the hangover and sleep deprivation and the too bright sunlight and the sirens roaring through his mushy brain didn´t help his headache at all. First thing on his schedule was another aspirin and _big_ cup of coffee! There was no doubt that later the adrenaline would keep him awake anyway, but for now he just wanted to get into his dark, quiet office.

"Morning," he murmured as he entered the station, making his way past the buzzing, ever so busy officers. The hall was filled with noises of incoming reports and rustling papers, but he didn´t pay it any attention. Tiredly he went by the desks, only making a short stop at the coffee machine. With his mug in one hand and his bag in the other, he finally reached his safe haven.

"Morning. Get me an aspirin, will you please?" he greeted his secretary.

"I believe you´ll need more than one," was the meaningfully spoken reply and Vincent inwardly sighed. He didn´t look that wasted, did he?! He gave the man just a short nod, and pressed down the handle to his office. The sight that greeted him though, made him freeze to the spot, clutching his paper cup so hard that the lukewarm coffee spilled all over his hand.

"What-"

"Inspector Valentine?" One of the men in black suits looked up from the papers he´d been flicking through, sitting on his desk. The room was a total mess; papers and documents were lying everywhere, the drawers were wide open and three other men continued to rummage through his things, unfazed by his appearance.

"That is me," Vincent affirmed slowly, still standing by the door and taking in the chaos with wide eyes.

That made the men stop in their work and after a short, visual exchange between each other, the first one who had spoken to him laid the papers aside and stood.

"You hereby are taken under arrest."

"… Excuse me?" The Inspector had finally come back to his senses and absently put his cup on one of the ravished shelves, shaking the black liquid from his hand. "This must be a mistake."

"I don´t think so, sir," the man replied coolly, the others closing up on them, slowly walking towards Vincent on a circle. The raven haired man briefly closed his eyes and shook his head in irritation, trying to clear it. This was the last thing he needed now!

"And may I ask what I am accused off?" he remarked sarcastically, meeting the other Inspector´s unperturbed gaze with steely eyes.

"Child molestation."

"What?! That is ridiculous!"

Instead of an answer, the officer threw something onto the table and Vincent picked it up with shaking hands. His vision narrowed, becoming blurry at the rims. He didn´t even notice the men having him surrounded and effectively trapped. All he could see was the black white photograph of him in a dirty motel room, grabbing a teenager; and the next one showing him pinning a slender figure onto the mattress of a too familiar bed, their lips locked.

"This… this isn´t," he breathed, trying not to pass out from the ringing in his ears and the room shifting. "I didn´t do anything, he came up to me!"

"Certainly, sir." The men eyed him with such cold disgust that Vincent just closed his mouth, gaping at them in disbelief.

"Now, don´t be difficult and follow my colleagues outside, we´d like to avoid a scene. It is ugly enough as it is." The police officers made another step forward, but they didn´t look as if they´d actually mind if Vincent would try to be 'difficult'. He didn´t though, just let the pictures flutter back onto the desk. The cuffs clicked shut with a small, steely sound and then the other Inspector made a step aside, gesturing towards the door. And Vincent had no choice but to obey and let himself be led out of his office like a violent felon.

*

"This way sir."

Vincent stiffened on the cot of his solitary cell where he was sitting on, hands behind his head, dully staring at the smeared wall. They´d just locked him up here after he had made his phone call and until now no one had deigned to either speak to him, listen to him or answer his questions.

With a squeaking sound, the heavy metal door was opened and he had to narrow his eyes against the cold, clinical neon light that infiltrated his cell. He couldn´t quite see the details of the man standing in the door way, but he didn´t really need to; the silhouette was far too recognizable anyway.

"Take your time, General. And don´t worry… the cameras are taken off." The guard threw Vincent a grim look that told the man that at least he wouldn´t lift his little finger to come to Valentine´s rescue in case Sephiroth wanted a little payback for what had been 'done' to his son. Hell, he looked like he wanted a good swing on Vincent´s balls himself!

"Thank you, I appreciate that. I won´t take long however."

The guard just nodded, closed the door, and then they were alone. Vincent meanwhile sat up, his cuffed hands resting in his lap, eyes wary.

Sephiroth stood by the door for another moment, unmoving, before he finally came towards the cot with idle strides.

"I thought it was strange how persistent you were to be around my family… Stalking my boy, hm?"

"He was stalking me, rather."

"Yes, certainly. And of course you didn´t do anything, in fact, he was seducing you," Sephiroth replied sarcastically, coming to stand a few feet away from the bed where Vincent had stood up as well.

"Who should know this better than you," the Inspector answered, face impassive.

The General narrowed his eyes, slowly stepping forward so he stood only a few inches away from the other and looking rather intimidating. "Well, it is a good thing you are safely behind bars now."

"What, the great General is afraid of a mere man finding out about his not so heroic side?" The cynicism in Vincent´s voice was acrid.

"Certainly not," was the snorted reply. "But I am more in the public spotlight than ever before and I don´t need a snoopy cop sticking his nose into business that decidedly is none of his." Sephiroth remarked in a friendly manner, and then a sudden punch to his guts made Vincent almost double over.

"I didn´t think you´d be stupid enough to fall for it, though" the silver haired man smirked, withdrawing his fist from Vincent´s stomach and grabbing him by the chest so he wouldn´t fall back. Guiding his mouth to Vincent´s ear, he said lowly "I must give the boy credit for that, he knows how to play… I raised him well, didn´t I? He learns so fast."

"That´s what you´re planning, breeding yourself a successor?" Vincent hissed through gritted teeth, struggling to not fall to his knees.

"Hn." Sephiroth considered him with a cool look and let go, shoving the raven haired man back onto his cot.

"You know what the first official act is, I have planned after I become president?" he asked, rhetorically, looking coldly down at Vincent who had rolled into a ball and was still coughing. "I will introduce the death penalty for child abusers. See you on the death-chair, Valentine."

The man turned and with a last, glacial look over his shoulder knocked against the door to be let out.

*

Reeve hurried through the halls, cell phone still in hand. Just a few seconds ago he had received a very shocking call from Vincent. His friend hadn´t said much apart from 'He got me, Reeve. I´m accussed of child abuse.' All Reeve could reply was "I´ll take care of it," and hung up. Of course he´d make sure that Vincent got the best lawyer and that the case was thoroughly investigated, but they probably had little chances at getting out of it. If Sephiroth was determined on getting Vincent convicted, there probably wasn´t much they could do. The media would eat his friend alive, the General had too many powerful friends, especially within the squad of judges. They´d squish him…

No, what he needed to do first now was talk to Yazoo. The boy had to clarify how things really had been, because Reeve knew with every fiber of his being that Vincent was the last person on the planet to be rightfully accused of such a crime! He had to convince Yazoo…

Just there he was, standing by his locker, listening to the redhead as if nothing had happened at all. Clenching his fist, Reeve walked up to them.

"Yazoo!"

The youth turned away from Reno and cocked his head, calmly watching his teacher approaching them.

"Do you have a moment?"

"Well, actually we wanted to go out for lunch just no-"

"It´s important," the psychologist interrupted tightly, leaning with one hand against the locker in a rather intimidating and pressing manner.

The two boys exchanged a quick look, then Reno just shrugged. "I´ll save you something, yo. See you later," he said and went away.

"This way, please." Reeve gestured towards a class room he knew was now empty and Yazoo followed the invitation wordlessly. Locking the door to make sure that they didn´t get interrupted, the bearded man leaned against the teacher´s desk, crossing his arms over his chest, and said without further ado,

"I am not a teacher."

Yazoo looked honestly surprised for a moment.

"Actually, I am a psychiatrist."

At that, Yazoo narrowed his eyes and his shoulders tensed a bit, but otherwise he remained calm. "And, why are you telling me this?"

Reeve hesitated, choosing his next words carefully. "I tell you, because I know about your situation. And I think we should talk about it."

"My situation?" the boy repeated emotionlessly, tilting his head.

"I know that you accused someone of a crime he didn´t commit. I know you were made to do it. But believe me, Vincent only really wanted to help you. That was why he sent me here, to make sure that no harm is done to you. We want to help you, Yazoo. You cannot really want this, can you?"

"Well, actually, I do not want your help. I don´t need it and quite frankly, I don´t care about what happens to Vincent at all."

Reeve pressed his lips together, intently observing the boy in front of him. There was no doubt about it: he really meant what he just said. No sympathy, not even gloating. No emotion at all.

"What happened to you?" he simply asked, no judgement in his voice at all, just plain, honest interest. "What made you the way you are?" Shaking his head a bit, he pinched the bridge of his nose, not knowing how he could get through to a person that was so utterly and thoroughly empty.

"You really want to know that, hn?" Yazoo had narrowed his eyes again, observing the fake teacher with intensity himself. Reeve just stopped rubbing his face, looking up. "Yes Yazoo, I would really like to understand."

The room was silent for a moment, then the boy leaned back against a table, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine. I will tell you then, but don´t think this will change anything at all."

He was quiet for another second, looking at his feet, before he started,

"During the war my father was stationed near the boarder, a small facility, hidden in a forest by the mountains. He worked for the military as a scientist and they were onto something big, some secret weapon. I was nine then and we had been taken with him to the base. My mother was already gone at that time, she died of puerperal fever when Kadaj had been born. Anyway, there were no relatives to look after us, so he took us with him. He had also found a new girlfriend, a fellow scientist. She was nice and adored Kadaj and everything looked really good. We were never allowed into the facility though, it was all highly classified, but I found a way inside through the air conditioning system. I was still rather small back then."

"You were a clever child, weren´t you?" Reeve asked, expression soft.

"Hn." Yazoo gave a non-committal shrug and simply continued. "I didn´t understand what they were working on, but I didn´t really mind. There just was that huge machine, and I liked the humming noises it made, it calmed me down. I could sit there for hours, just listening to the slight rising and subsiding of the machines… There was a small opening for the air to circulate and it provided a good view into the main hall. My father would often be there with his clipboard, looking at blinking lights on the panels, taking notes. Sometimes I thought he knew that I was there, but he never said anything about it, so I wouldn´t know. One day we were supposed to go on a trip, though, somewhere to the mountains, like some pathfinder tour or something. I believe they may have known what would come that day, but I didn´t feel like going, so I sneaked away and went back to the facility…"

He paused again, deep in thought, and Reeve got a sinking feeling in his guts. When 5 minutes had passed and Yazoo still hadn´t continued, the therapist softly asked,

"What happened then?"

"I was sitting down at my usual place. The machines were humming, louder, quieter, louder, quieter… I think I fell asleep at one point. At least I woke up when the alarm started ringing. It was such an unpleasant tone. Everything was red and dark and when I looked out through the slits of the fan everyone was running around, looking so busy and panicked. And then the doors exploded. They were heavy, made from steel, but they flew through the room as if it was only paper. They rushed into a group of scientists and a stray metal piece decapitated one of them. I know that because the head flew right at me and bounced off the fan. Their blood splattered on my face, it was rather gory… After the door was gone they came. A group of men dressed in black gear emerged from the smoky tunnel, they had masks so I couldn´t see their faces, but they were shouting things in a foreign language. And they immediately started to shoot. Most of the people that had survived the blasted door fell then, I think. There was smoke, biting smoke and for a moment it was really dark. It all went into my direction, since I was behind the air conditioner and I thought I´d choke, but then it got better.

The rest of the scientists had hidden behind the control panels and under tables, but the soldiers split up and all forced them to gather in a corner near my hiding spot. I could see my father, he was holding his girlfriend because she got shot in the leg and she was sobbing. She was so pretty… The soldiers must have thought so too, because after they inspected the group they motioned for her to step forward with their riffles. Father objected, asking them if they couldn´t see that she was injured, but one of them just hit him in the face with his AK 47 and his nose crushed. There was a fountain of blood spurting out of his nose and he fell back to the ground. She was screaming as they teared at her clothes and father stood up again, trying to help her but they just laughed and pushed him back. And then he looked at me. He knew I was there, I know, and he closed his eyes to tell me that I shouldn´t look at this, but I couldn´t look away.

They stripped her till she was naked and she had this nasty flesh wound on her leg but they didn´t care. They raped her anyway. At the beginning she was fighting and kicking and screaming, but after the third one she didn´t do anything anymore. Might as well have already been dead at that point. They weren´t very gentle, there was this cracking sound and her arm looked off, somehow. Father was really pale and tried to avert his eyes and cover his ears, but they just laughed and forced him on his knees so he had to watch it. I always thought he was a rather tough guy, but well, apparently he wasn´t. He vomited and sobbed through the whole thing.

When they were done, they forced the others to stand back against the wall, hands behind their heads. He waved at me, inconspicuously when he put his hands up and then he slumped down because they fired a new salvo and all of them fell to the floor. There was a pool building underneath them, and it splattered everywhere. They were twitching rather funnily when they got shot….

When they stopped at least, it was really quiet and nothing was moving, but the machine. It was going louder and quieter, louder and quieter. I thought the machine would never stop… It was quiet and sickening. I´m stuck in a room, where life is plentiful but nothing lives. Nothing that I say or do matters to the black machine and if I´m dead when tomorrow´s gone the black machine will just move on…"

He had tilted his head, eyes glassy and Reeve held his breath, not daring to interrupt him anymore. Not when he was so deep in his trance…

"At some time they left. I do not know when that was, but the machine wasn´t running any longer when they found me two days later, dehydrated, starved…"

"I am so sorry," the therapist replied, gulping and gently squeezing the boy´s shoulder. The horrors of war, who could ever really understand them? He had heard so many stories by now, had dealt with so many traumatized war victims, but it never ceased to terrify him.

"I… can´t even begin to imagine how this must have been for you…" He shook his head in misery. That explained everything. Shock, trauma causing loss of empathy…

"Of course you can, I just did too." The youth snorted, rising his brow, tilting his head and sizing the therapist up and down. "Do you feel better now?"

"What?" The man blinked and looked up at the unfazed teenager.

"Now that I gave an explanation that you can fit into psychological theories and disorders: do you feel better?"

"I… what?" Reeve slowly withdrew his hand from the silver haired boy, his sympathetic expression melting into a blank, disbelieving one. He was quiet for a moment, before he said slowly, "This didn´t happen to you, did it?"

"Hn," Yazoo´s lips drew into an ironic smile. "It didn´t. I just made it up. Actually my father left when Kadaj was born and my Mother died a few years later when she fell down a staircase." He made a pause, face going expressionless again. "I pushed her."

Reeve didn´t know what to say, shaking his head and trying to clear it. "You… you can´t be serious…"

"You are right. I am not." Yazoo crossed his arms over his chest, still eyeing the other man.

"Why are you doing this?!"

"Because you´re so predictable and it is so easy to pull your strings. I just need to give you an opportunity to rationalize it and you jump at it. You always need to have a reason, causality, because you cannot bear not knowing, not being able to explain or simply accept that there might be people who simply don´t care. You are incompetent; you are not even close to understanding me and you cannot help me."

Reeve´s shoulders slumped, as he shook his head again, before he looked up again. "You can´t feel. You feel detached. Nothing has sense and nothing bothers you."

Yazoo slowly lifted a single brow, but remained quiet. Reeve´s eyes went cold, analytical. There was no use in showing sympathy, it didn´t affect the youth at all, and so he would talk to him in a way that he could understand.

"Yazoo, you are suffering from an endogenous depression. A light form of autism even. No empathy, impaired social interaction, lack of intuition, chronic boredom that gets compensated by pursuing certain subjects, negligence of others." He stopped, watching the boy, who had tilted his head. His face betrayed no emotion, but Reeve knew that he had his full attention now.

"Of course we´d have to run a few tests, but it is treatable. We can help you. There are special therapies where we can deal with it. You are not as indifferent as you think, you are clever and you do wonder why others can feel and you cannot. You strive for answers and we can give them. You could learn to be happy, you don´t have to bear this alone. But before we can, you must help us… "

Despite his efforts to keep his voice even, he heard the urging and pleading within and pressed his lips together, not knowing what else he could say to persuade Yazoo. He knew he was right, he could help the boy. He wasn´t sure if he wanted to, if he wanted to deal with someone that was so amoral and rode roughshod over his ethics, but then it wasn´t really Yazoo´s 'fault'. Even though he was not mentally challenged and had a very clear concept of what was ethically right and wrong, he couldn´t be blamed that it held no meaning to him when he couldn´t emotionally understand it. How was he supposed to comprehend that killing people was bad when he didn´t feel anything about it? It left their laws and norms as something abstract, illogical to him that made no sense to be followed as long as he could get away with it and gained something from it. Why should he consider other people's feelings when he didn´t understand them? Still, his first priority was to get Vincent out of prison now, though his professional interest had been piqued, no doubt. If anything, he could get the boy to cooperate with something he could profit from; offer him what he desired most and that was answers and the ability to feel.

"Think about it. You know I am right, we can help you." Grabbing the youth´s shoulders again, the therapist forced him to look him in the eye, searching for signs that would tell him what Yazoo was thinking. And there it was: uncertainty, scepticism.

"We can help you," he repeated again, squeezing a bit tighter.

"Maybe you can. But I already found my cure. I decline." Yazoo untangled his arms and left the room, before Reeve had a chance to say another word.

tbc

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soyna: Haha, you´re absolutely right, Yazoo was laying a trap XD Poor Vincent... It´s a game of cat and mouse and no one can really be sure who is the cat and who is the mouse unless the trap snaps shut. ^__^

IA1979: I´ll talk to Seph about the nude posters next time, depending on how desperate he is he might agree to it - if he gets your vote that is XD Yes, it seems everyone underestimates Yazoo - even Vincent. I must admit I was tempted to give you Vinzoo smut indeed, but it just didn´t seem plausible, no matter how I looked at it. Vincent would never agree to something like this, even if he would get Sephiroth. Vincent hunts Sephiroth because he is profoundly convinced that Sephiroth did wrong and belongs behind bars. If he´d lay with Yazoo Vincent would betray his own ethics and wouldn´t be any better than Sephiroth, so well... Thank you for liking it!

Incog Nito: Yeah, I tricked you a bit there ;) I wanted you to think he called Reno, simply because I´m a prick XD And to keep the suspense up ;) Oh and you´re always welcome to help Rufus to go for Prez!!! I must warn you though, he isn´t exactly the most pleasant employer *coughs and glances at Zack who rocks back and forth in his corner, weeping*

Valitiel: Woot, you got very close to it! Sephiroth got annoyed by Vincent and his investigations indeed and since he wants to go for president he tried to get rid of him. And Yazoo came up with that idea. But all will be explained in detail in the next chapter ;)

natzilla: Haha, the perv in me´d have prefered him a LOT more shameless as well! But Vincent refused bravely... And depending on the POV this story can end well indeed ;)

cotton: Oh yes, I know exactly how you feel. Finally things start to get well but Yazoo has to destroy them...-if only this happy family was as happy as it seems. Sephiroth beat Yazoo up once already, maybe you can go back to the chapter in 'Abuse' and re-read it XD Thanks for the feedback!

Aiko Celeste: I hear you! The madhouse sounds frightening at first but maybe this is exactly where he belongs, at least for a while... Somehow I can really see pre-wacko Sephiroth be president. After he goes nuts he´d be more of a bloodlusty, evil dictator I´m afraid.

**Thanks for all the great reviews!!!**


	34. Chapter 34

** New chapter. I think this time I can say that this is the second last chapter (excluding the epilogue) *sigh* Don´t want to even think about ending this story, but eventually all things must come to an end... I really hope you like it, because it took me quite some time to write it, and I put much effort into it ;)**

**Thank you very much, Chephren, for doing the fast and thorough betaing again, you´re such a big help!!! *kakisses***

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34

_"Hello honey, I´m back from wor- what´s wrong, why are you sitting there in the dark like that?"_

_"I- it´s nothing, really…"_

_"Oh dear… Come here, let me hold you… Gods, you´re shaking! Now come on, you know you can tell me everything, please tell me what´s wrong."_

_"It… it´s Yazoo…"_

_"Yazoo? What´s wrong with him? Is he sick again? Here, don´t cry please, let me wipe away your tears darling."_

_"I…I don´t know… I think there´s something wrong with him, I just don´t know **what**. He… he sca-scares me!"_

_Silence. Then,_

_"Why´s that dear?"_

_"I don´t know… Maybe I´m just being stupid but… it´s how he looks at me, I don´t… I can´t really explain it, it´s just like as if he´s a total stranger, I don´t know what he´s thinking, he never laughs or cries anymore and… I mean he´s three years old now and he hasn´t spoken one word! Sometimes, when I´m cleaning the room or cook he just stands behind me and stares at me, a-and I don´t know what to do or say, I sometimes even think he´s… he´s… I know it´s stupid, I mean he´s only three and he´d never… do something to me *nervous laughter* but I just can´t help it! It´s like he isn´t even my son, and I tried so hard! I-I tried to spend time with him, even more than with Loz, and I tried to bond, to find out what he likes, but no matter what I do he never reacts in **any** way! I tried to give him a hug today and he just remained a boneless, impassive bundle in my arms. Sometimes I even check if he´s still breathing! I got angry after that and… slapped him, but he did nothing, nothing at all! He simply turned and left and later I found him staring at the wall. He has done nothing else since then, that´s almost six hours ago! I don´t care what that the doctors say that he´s physically healthy, there´s something wrong with him and I can´t take it anymore!"_

_"Hush dear, hush, it´s all right, be quiet please, just because he doesn´t speak doesn´t mean he can´t hear you… It´s true, he´s a bit behind in his development, but this doesn´t mean there´s something wrong with him."_

_"How can you say that?! You´re not trapped here all day with him! Tell me, have you ever see him smile, or-or showing any other reaction?! Tell me, tell me straight to the face that he doesn´t scare you!"_

_Silence._

_"Maybe we should send him to a psycho-therapist…"_

_"And if that doesn´t work?"_

_"I don´t know honey, I really don´t know…"_

_"We must give him away… I know I sound like a horrible mother, but… I can´t take it anymore, I just don´t have the strength anymore… He´s destroying you, Loz… me…"_

_"Hush, it´s all right, it´s just hard times…"_

_"Please, promise me that we will give him away if it won´t work, please…"_

_"… I promise, I´ll take him to a doctor tomorrow, and if it doesn´t work, we will find someone who is more suited to raise him… Yazoo! What are you doing there, standing in the door way buddy? Come here, don´t worry, mummy´s just a bit sad, but it´s all righ- are you… crying? Oh sweetheart, come here to daddy, don´t cry!"_

_He´d seen Loz doing it so often, it wasn´t hard to do it at all. Actually it was surprisingly easy. He never understood why people were making these faces all the time, but what he did understand was that it meant trouble if he didn´t make them, even at such an early age. He also learned that he must speak, even though it was pointless since so far he had gotten through life without doing it. But communication seemed the key to avoiding change, and change was not good. It tired him. And speaking and making faces at the right times spared him changes, and later he learned that it helped him gaining benefits too. The topic of 'giving him away' was never broached again after that night, though at the beginning he had to figure out what faces were appropriate in what situation. When Kadaj came, the attention was drawn away from him anyway, and his parents simply accepted that he was a quiet, slightly withdrawn child. A dreamer, they said. It was fine with Yazoo, he didn´t care as long as he didn´t experience hunger or any physical displeasure. _

_He needed his brothers though. They were an important source of information, they connected him to reality. Even though he felt not even one trace of what people called 'brotherly love', he understood that they provided him with most of the things he could not find out himself. As a matter of fact he could not imitate adults since their behaviour was not appropriate for a child; that he was. But when he located his own behaviour between this of Kadaj and Loz he knew he succeeded in satisfying their expectations. And this way he forged a special bond with them the other two didn´t even notice. It made him keep close attention to their well-being, because they were only of help and cooperated when he could understand them and if they were mostly unharmed. It was what was expected of him, to be a good brother, to take care of them._

_Sometimes, however, when he couldn´t figure out certain things by himself or from the reactions of his brothers, he would ask his father. _

_"Daddy, what is loneliness?" His father would laugh, crouch down and stroke over his serious face. "Well, you surely ask strange questions, buddy!" He´d look thoughtful for a moment and then start smiling (which Yazoo quickly mirrored). "Let´s see… Imagine that your brothers were gone somehow? And Mommy and Daddy won´t be there anymore either, you´d have no one to play and cuddle with. Wouldn´t that be sad?" Yazoo mechanically nodded, thinking that this was what was expected of him. His father kept smiling (a good sign) and ruffled his long tresses. "See, that´s what loneliness means."_

_He had never understood it. When 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' had died by that accident he had kept close attendance if something inside him would change, but nothing had happened. At their burial he cried, because everyone did, but if they´d have laughed, he´d have laughed as well. After that he noticed that being not with 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' meant change; trouble actually. _

_He found a new caretaker, though. And not only that; he found 'feeling' as well. A powerful feeling, something, that almost managed to fill him from within, especially when they were rough. It was a strange combination of pain filled with physical pleasure that was so overwhelming that it almost came close to what Yazoo thought to be a real emotion. And once he had tasted it he craved it. It filled the emptiness, the constant vacuum he was drowning in, surrounding him, sweeping through him. Since he had never known anything else he hadn´t expected that there were limits to it, that it wasn´t infinite. But there was something else. Of course he had known that other people were filled, or otherwise their faces wouldn´t have made sense. If everyone´d have been like him, there wouldn´t have been a need to display 'emotion' because there wouldn´t have been any in existence. But his own personal emptiness seemed endless to him, unchangeable; he hadn´t even realized it was emptiness before he had met its opposition. Now he felt he was floating in a flask full of numb blackness and occasionally he got close to the lid. All it took was to one day lift it from the inside, crash through it and see what lay beneath. _

_Most of the time, however, he escaped his inner state by focusing his attention on tasks like studying, cooking, analyzing. Whatever kept him occupied. It didn´t interest him, it was merely to keep him busy and he had no ambitions with it. Sephiroth wished for it and so he did it, because it was as good an occupation as everything else. If Sephiroth wanted him to be a pathologist so be it, he couldn´t care less. It was the reward that he would get he seeked._

_ Hard, rough sex._

_It wasn´t like they hadn´t tried to be soft either, but it just hadn´t worked for them. Sephiroth could be tender actually and Yazoo could pretend to appreciate it, but it wasn´t what they needed. Yazoo didn´t know what was driving the General, but eventually they had come to an understanding that it just wouldn´t do. They needed to be unrestrained, pure and feral, they needed to **feel**, to follow the inner urges that drove them..._

Sephiroth entered his study, face tired and looking unusually exhausted. It wasn´t his triumphant, proud and confident face he made for the public when he told them that he was the best choice for president. No one had ever seen it before, but it was the face of an old, tired man trapped in the body of a young warrior.

His eyes fell on the sleeping figure of his child and he soundlessly closed the door behind him. Silently heavy boots walked over the thick carpet to finally stand beside the expensive, black couch that had barely been used before Yazoo and his brothers had come to live with the General. Now it had almost naturally come into the possession of the empty one. The one with the keen, dull eyes.

Successor… Sephiroth might have laughed at Valentine´s suggestion, had he felt any mirth and humor again at all. Yazoo had already surpassed him; he was dead. He wasn´t tormented by cold anger that never burnt down. Despite his brilliant analytical mind this boy was a simple creature. All he needed was air to breathe and nutrition. There was nothing Sephiroth could teach him. Well, almost. There was one thing he could do that would relieve the both of them and Sephiroth, as it seemed, would do so very soon.

Long silver hair slid over an evenly breathing chest as the General bent forward and, not unkindly, shook Yazoo´s shoulder.

Green eyes opened, not slowly, but not overly fast either. Normally.

"You fell asleep."

Yazoo sat up, scanning the man in front of him and recognizing him as his father, his 'partner in crime'. The cure.

Sephiroth´s feet moved again, carrying him to his desk where he discarded of his heavy coat to sit down on his chair. Yazoo needed a few seconds to adjust to being awake, his head down, dizzy eyes staring into nothingness through fine strands of moonlight hair. Quicksilver was deadly, wasn´t it? He thought he had read about it.

"Come here."

What a relief that for once he didn´t need to make faces.

The distance between them was quickly crossed and Yazoo settled down on the strong thighs of his father´s lap.

"Did you prepare for the trial?" Sephiroth tilted his head a bit to be able to see his child´s face.

"Hn."

This was it; the last obstacle. If they got through it like Sephiroth expected there was nothing that could stand between him and the presidency. On the contrary, through careful, calculated 'leaks', the public had come to know about this little scandal and it had catapulted his sympathies into an endless high. The latest polls showed that 78% of the populace would vote in his favor. There was nothing as endearing as a worried father caring for his child, trying to protect it from harm.

But Sephiroth had calculated this as well, of course. The sole reason of adopting children was the result of a long preparation that had taken him years to think out. Rufus Shinra may be powerful, charming and appeared to be competent with his beautifully thought-out speeches, but there was one thing Sephiroth had noticed that he lacked.

Reliability.

He was too arrogant and too spoiled as that people could identify with him or trust him. He was no man for the masses.

Sephiroth on the other hand was perfect. He had a beautiful girlfriend with a normal background that gave women the feeling that it could have been them as well. He had adopted three children (it had taken him a few months to find children that looked like him and it certainly had been a trial in the beginning, but apart from the fact that they made real good punching bags he could vent off his anger on, he had conditioned them with a clever tactic of carrot and stick. After all the bad treatment they had graved for his approval and now that he had given it to them they were as obedient as he needed them, at least the biggest and the smallest one). He was a family man who shared the publics´worries and problems.

It was almost funny how blind Shinra had been to his schemes. The man thinking that Sephiroth would plan something as stupid and inelegant like a coup d'état spoke for Rufus´intellect itself - Sephiroth used the system against itself, not the other way around. Sending his old acquaintance as a spy had been so painfully obvious and even more stupid, but what had actually really surprised the General was Zack´s suggestion he go for president. This was not only immensely helpful, it also provided him with the excuse of more or less having been 'pushed' to go for presidency. Such a modest, honorable guy as Sephiroth wouldn´t dare to think this was something he could boldly claim. How arrogant that would be. Sephiroth was anything but. And Zack telling this little story of how he had 'persuaded' his friend to candidate to whoever wanted to hear it was rather convenient to underpin that as well…

The thing with Tseng and Valentine hadn´t been planned, nor was the strange bond he had built with Yazoo. But in the end it all served his purposes, and it was good.

Yazoo sat mutely on his legs, head tilted, staring off into nothingness. The gods only knew what he was thinking right now, Sephiroth certainly didn´t. It didn´t bother him anymore however, not after the plan had been executed so smoothly…

"I am actually surprised you did not betray me. Your liking Valentine seemed genuine."

Sephiroth calmly observed his child from out of the corner of his eyes. Now that the tension of not knowing what to expect was gone, the situation between them had eased somehow. The lack of sexual activity had them put both on edge it seemed; Yazoo had withdrawn from him, almost appearing as if he was secretly working against him, but Sephiroth had had a façade to maintain and couldn´t allow himself slip ups. The withdrawal had been necessary indeed… It had been unnerving that in the end all seemed to be dependant on Yazoo though. His child had been the only one able to bring him down last minute, the one to make or break his victory. If Yazoo´d have chosen to go against the plan last minute, it would have been over, Sephiroth had been very well aware of it. With Yazoo he couldn´t rely on his loyalty, because the boy had none – or so he´d thought. Despite the feeling that Yazoo´d betray their goal because he seemed dissatisfied with being neglected and ignored, all had gone well. Yazoo had executed the scheme to the last letter, bidding Valentine to a run-down motel room where Sephiroth had been lying in wait with the camera.

The rest had been a piece of cake. The charge had been filed within an hour and since Sephiroth was who he was it had had first priority. The wheels of bureaucracy turned fast if one knew how to grease them.

Sephiroth had arranged that the trial against Vincent Valentine would be held tomorrow; one week before the elections. It was only partially public to 'spare' his child, but enough to satisfy the public´s curiosity and to gain their votes. There was no way they wouldn´t win. The judge was an old acquaintance of his and there was still a new chief justice to be nominated once Sephiroth won, and he had let shine through that he thought this particular judge to be a suitable candidate. Opportunistic and power-hungry as he was there was no way he wouldn´t judge in Sephiroth´s favor. He just didn´t know yet that there were no judges needed once the silver haired General was elected.

Yazoo looked up, face as expressionless and blank as ever. Valentine… The man had appeared to be a formidable caretaker for a moment. A possible escape route in case-

"And what about you. Your liking to a normal family life seemed genuine."

It had been a serious enough threat for Yazoo to seriously consider the raven haired man. It seemed now that Sephiroth was just as good an actor as Yazoo was himself to fool his own child, but still Yazoo was suspicious that it had not been as much of an act as Sephiroth wanted him to believe it was… In the end it was only Valentine´s unconcealed disgust at Yazoo´s conditions that had deterred the teenager from choosing another caretaker. Vincent wasn´t as talented in play-acting.

His eyes darted up to the quiet man, who stared off into the distance himself, looking quite melancholic.

"There is no way we can change the past."

This simple statement conveyed the tragedy of it all, the impossibility to make things any better. It was true, the last few weeks had been calm and almost pleasant even. They had shown the General a glimpse of the life he could never have, and that he might have craved if the bitterness that had poisoned every fiber of his being hadn´t been so thorough. It was nothing but an illusion, a sweet one, but an illusion nonetheless. It wasn´t like he didn´t want to believe that things could get better; he just couldn´t. He was broken, likea shattered mirror and every sharp splinter pierced agonizingly into his soul, showing him a distorted image of the man he once was and couldn´t be anymore, because he was fragmented, lost. He could not find peace this way, he was convinced, even if he wanted to. His old life where this had been a dream, a real possibility, was over since long, long ago. He couldn´t stop the nightmares and he couldn´t cage what wanted out so badly…

Most people misjudged Sephiroth. The majority thought that he was a hero, brave and noble, only concerned for their well-being. The ones who suspected him to be a cold-hearted, power craving almost-dictator were just as wrong either, however.

Sephiroth did not want to rule. He did not want to create his own, self-aggrandizing army state, far from it.

The tragic figure that was the Great General Sephiroth, the nation´s hero and rescuer, the people´s ray of hope, was only driven by one desire, one thing that tore him apart from the inside and that forced him to mercilessly pursue one goal.

Destruction.

His pain, his torment had swelled so much that it was about to explode, to overflow and he had to externalise it in the only way that he could think of:

Everyone had to suffer and share his anguish.

The hate and desperation that spiraled down to the core of his being was taking over, raging inside him and it had to be let out or he would choke on it.

The only way to do it was mass destruction.

But only the president had the final authority over nuclear weapons; only he could give the order to launch them.

Target would be humanity itself. Not because mankind was evil or wretched, no; they had to suffer because Sephiroth had to. The self-destruction that ate at him like bloated, slimy vermin would devour the rest of anything living as well.

Only then could he ever find peace.

"You are the cure." Yazoo offered his explanation for not betraying his father in return.

"Do not worry. I will heal you." The man placed a burning, chaste kiss on his child´s forehead. "I will show you the most powerful feelings.

Anguish.

Torment.

Angst.

And then you will understand and we will be free."

tbc

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**Valitiel:** Oh, you´re right, Yazoo and Sephiroth are very good at plotting indeed! As for Vincent, I am not so sure...

**oztan:** Hm, that is an interesting question. I believe Yazoo has no idea how much he really cares for his brothers, it has never really been put to test... So far he always got away with manipulating them to keep them complacent.

**Soyna:** haha, I have my sympathies so mixed up as well XDDD Hm, Yazoo thinks that Sephiroth is the cure, not Reno, sorry! But there´s still two chapters to go, we´ll see then^^

**Wildfire Sniper:** Yes, I heard a few times that people wouldn´t have minded seeing some Vinzoo, but that on the other hand it wouldn´t have seemed plausible at all. I don´t think Vincent is a person to give up his morals so easily either. He has a strong character, I think. This is all a giant play of cat and mouse, indeed, everyone is trying to manipulate everyone and it is really not so clear anymore who is succeeding and who is not XDDD

**Saeth Ceirwyn:** Hahaha, this was an interesting idea XDDD But it may be just a bit different from your version ;) Sephiroth needs therapy indeed, however... A strait jacket as well, I guess. in this fic Vincent is in his mid twenties, a bit older maybe (around 27 I guess), since this is an AU, but he has lots of experience and he surely won´t go down without putting up a fight...

**IA1979:** Yeah, the drama XD I´m such a drama whore, it´s not even funny anymore -.- I like badass Yazoo, haha, I must admit I´m a bit fangirling here ;) But well, I´m glad you enjoy it^^ I spoke with Seph, but so far he is being arrogant and thinks he can win the election anyway. He doesn´t mind the nude poster however (narcisstic prick) XD I´ll see that I get you one in the next post!

**Yay, we´re close to 200 reviews!!! I wonder if we can pass the mark with this chapter? *bites nails***

**Review, puweeeeeeeeeeeeasssssssssseeeeeeee! *puppy eyes of doom***


	35. Chapter 35

**Hello there again^^ First off, I must thank you all for the awesome reviews, and especially Wildfire Sniper who was so wonderful as to review twice XDDD *huggles* We missed the mark a bit, but I am so happy anyway about the support and that you all enjoyed it so far** ***goes all sentimental***

**Special thanks to Natzilla this time who helped me greatly with her betaing!!!**

**Enjoy the chapter before last^___^**

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Chapter 35

Judge Hollander sat down after he had been introduced and the audience followed his example. Grumpily he took in the massive amounts of cameras and curious onlookers that had gathered in his courtroom. To his right sat the accused with his attorney Cid Highwind, wearing a black suit, long hair pulled back into a thick pony tail. Behind him, as emotional support or whatever Reeve Tuesti was, had taken his seat.

To his left, he found the victim sitting with his attorney and his father as well, both wearing expensive suits and looking a bit stressed. Sephiroth had supportively laid a hand on his son´s shoulder, who looked down, apparently uncomfortable. A row behind them the rest of the family had gathered, including the blond woman.

The bill of indictment was read and Vincent Valentine was ordered to the witness stand.

"Name?"

"Vincent Valentine."

"Age?"

"Twenty-seven."

"Occupation?"

"Detective."

"Civil Status?"

"Single."

Vincent sat back down, face impassive. He had been in so many trials, but never as the accused one. It was an experience he could very well have done without, but now they had to try and make the best out of it. It didn´t help that he knew that he was innocent. One look at Sephiroth´s smug eyes, Yazoo´s very convincingly played act of a broken boy and the blood thirsty crowd was enough to give him a sinking feeling in his guts. Still, he held his head up proudly as his attorney walked up. The man looked a bit… unconventional, with his disheveled blond hair and the unshaved face, but Reeve had assured him that Cid was one of the best…

"Mister Valentine, would you please tell us what happened that day?"

Vincent just nodded and then fixated his eyes on Yazoo, who was still looking down, as he explained in a strong, unwavering voice,

"I might have to explain the antecedents first. I was assigned to a case, in which a man, Mr Tseng, was found dead in his apartment. It turned out that he was a high school teacher who until recently, taught at the plaintiff´s school. The circumstances under which he died were unclear and a bit dubious to me, so I traced back the last few of his days."

"Objection, this has nothing to do with this case at all, he is just wasting time," Yazoo´s attorney interrupted, languidly.

Cid´s expression went morose as he turned around. "Since when is the context to any crime unnecessary?"

The judge just rolled his eyes and then wavedhis hand for Vincent to continueand continue he did. In a calm, controlled tone the former Inspector presented the events from his point of view, even though he was inwardly trembling. His eyes were glued to Yazoo and Sephiroth all the time and it might have occurred to the attentive observer that he was actually speaking to them.

However to Vincent neither of them seemed overly impressed. Yazoo kept up his act of shyly, shamefully avoiding eyecontact with anyone, looking to the ground, hiding behind his hair and hugging his slim form.

Sephiroth´s face was tight, just as if he had to hold himself back to not jump at his son´s abuser any second. He had laid his arm protectively and supportively around Yazoo´s frail shoulder and sat stiffly on his chair. Vincent wasn´t deceived one moment however, he could see the smug, triumphant glint in the man´s eyes.

Reeve had told him that there wasn´t a high chance of getting out of this, even though he had persuaded Cid to take the case. But his attorney didn´t believe one word Vincent said, and he had adviced him to just confess and plead for temporary insanity. Vincent however had insisted on being innocent, and he would go through this with his head held high. There was nothing he had to blame himself for…

Once he had finished, it was utterly quiet in the court room. Vincent felt quite dizzy.

"Soooo," Yazoo´s attorney lifted a brow, his face looking utterly sceptical, as he deadpanned "Forgive me for being so frank now, but just to sum it all up again: you actually want to make us believe that my 14 year old client deliberately called you into a trap where he forced you into a compromising position so he could accuse you of child molestation because he was afraid that you´d find evidence that he had killed his teacher, Tseng if I recall correctly, and has a secret affair with his adoptive father?!" The incredulity was evident in his voice.

Vincent´s jaw tightened. His gaze briefly flickered over the hostile glares of the audience and Sephiroth´s sardonically raised eyebrow, daring him to affirm this utterly ridiculous sounding statement. Reeve just nodded at his friend, silently encouraging him.

"Yes."

An indignant murmur went through the crowd and Hollander had to silence them again. "Any other questions?"

"No," the attorney said almost coyly. "I think that statement stands for itself, but just to be fair I´d like to give Mr. Highwind the opportunity to re-think his tactic and plead for insanity…"

"Insanity my ass!" the blond muttered, but then just shrugged. Vincent was released and went back to his desk, where he sat down with weak knees.

The rest of the trial rushed past him almost entirely, but it was disastrous to say the least. Yazoo was asked to make his testimony, and he did so in a very convincingly small voice, avoiding to look at Vincent and giving the crowd the show they wanted. Poor, tormented boy. To Cid´s question why he had called Vincent to meet with him at all, he expertly lied that Vincent had put him under pressure, frightening him into submission by telling him that he would get Sephiroth behind bars if Yazoo didn´t agree to meet him eventually. According to Yazoo he had come to the motel, wanting to plead with Vincent so he left them alone. Of course he denied all of Vincent´s accusations: No, he didn´t have anything to do with Tseng´s death, he had been a dear teacher to him. No, his father had never EVER tried to touch him inappropriately.

When he left, Vincent knew it was over. Not even Reeve could help him anymore, even though he tried his utmost. In the end he was almost accused of being a partner in crime, or having at least been deceived by Valentine . Yazoo had even accused Reeve of trying to intimidate him into withdrawing the charge…

Sephiroth gave the perfect image of the worried, furious father as well. Though he appeared controlled and relatively calm as was expected of a man of his caliber he did a good job at letting 'shine through' how upset he was and how devastated. Asked how he got the picture that led to the charge, Sephiroth nonchalantly replied "My family is at the center of media attention right now. Although this surely is not always for the best I suppose that this time whatever paparazzi followed my son was a kind enough soul to contact me first. Otherwise I might have never known about this… I filed the charge immediately after receiving the photograph, of course."

It was all so perfect. A grand master plan, where all the pieces fit together…

A few more witnesses were called into the witness stand ; Hojo, a few colleagues of Vincent. While the latter attested that Inspector Valentine was an honourable man they also admitted that he was rather secluded and that neither of them really knew him. Hojo of course had his two cents to throw in as well, mentioning in his buzzing, unpleasant voice that he was under the impression that Valentine had been inappropriately obsessed with the case of the murdered teacher.

It all surely didn´t add to Vincent´s advantage.

When they were almost finished with the questioning of the witnesses, Cid Highwind suddenly stood from his chair, looking a bit contemplative, but then he said loudly,

"I have one last witness."

The judge looked at the man with clear disapproval, as a murmur went through the full courtroom, and glanced down on his notes again, holding his glasses before his eyes.

"There´s no one else listed here," he said sharply, clearly unhappy that this was dragging on further. He had made his judgement already and didn´t need nor want to hear another story that wouldn´t change anything anyway.

Yazoo´s attorney stood up again, looking unnerved as well. "Your Honor! I think we have heard enough already, and my client has suffered far too much anyway_._We should bring this to an end now!"

"My client has a right to be heard, it is about his conviction after all," the other lawyer replied snarkily, with a homicidal sidelong glance at his colleague.

The judge shared a brief look with Sephiroth, who sat beside his seemingly shy and shattered child. The General exchanged a few words with Yazoo, who just nodded, and then the silver haired man gave the judge a curt nod to proceed. He knew that they had won, but he didn´t want to appear as having forsaken Valentine a 'fair' trial. This whole thing was rather amusing anyway, and what did a few more minutes hurt?

With an exasperated sigh judge Hollander took his glasses off, rubbed over his tired face and motioned for the lawyer to call his ominous witness.

Satisfied, the man turned around to the audience and video cameras. "I call Reno Rotschopf to the witness stand."

At that another murmur swelled up, and two pairs of emerald eyes watched as Reno awkwardly got up from his seat somewhere in the rows behind them and strolled to the witness stand.

"What has he to do with all this?" Kadaj whispered curiously, questioningly looking at his father. Upon seeing the hard look and the clenched jaw of her partner, Elena hushed the boy though and held his hand to calm him down, feeling a bit nervous. What was Reno just thinking?!

Expressionlessly, Yazoo watched as Reno stood with his hand held up, solemnly reciting his oath and for a moment their eyes met. Reno winked at him and then looked back at the cameras and the people that eyed him with curious anticipation.

He sat down, straightening his suit – wearing a perfect tie this time- and looked a bit as if he felt out of place, but his features were serious and determined.

Even Vincent seemed to be surprised by his appearance, his resigned features becoming blank. He didn´t know this kid at all…

His data were briefly confirmed and then the attorney was given free reign for questioning.

Cid Highwind slowly walked up to the redhead, playing with his biro.

"Reno, could you please tell us what your relationship with the prosecutor is?"

"Sure thing. We´re friends, yo. I almost kissed him." the redhead replied totally unfazed.

This time the murmuring was deafening.

"Quiet!" the judge screamed, pouncing his hammer down.

"So you´d say you know him rather well then?" the blond asked, leaning his arm against the witness stand and sparing Yazoo a quick glance. Somehow he didn´t like the silver haired kid. Too sleek, too perfect….

"Most definitely."

"What kind of person do you think Yazoo is?"

Reno folded his arms, lifting his chin a bit, and let the bomb drop. "He´s a lying scumbag, yo."

"Objection!"

Cid was surprised, to say the least. Frankly, he had no idea who this brat was, but he had text messaged him about half an hour ago, promising Cid that he had crucial information that would exonaerate Vincent. Since they were pretty much busted anyway, he´d thought it wouldn´t hurt to hear the kid out. This was rather… unprofitable however. " Kid, we´re in a court room, keep that in mind, okay? No foul well then, did Yazoo talk to you about the incident with Mister Valentine?"

"No, not a word."

"I do not see what this has to do with the case at all, other than that your witness tries to defame my client!" Yazoo´s attorney bristled instantly, not liking this turn of events at all!

Before the judge could open his mouth and shout for silence, Reno had stood up already and announced hotly, "I know him and he´s lying! We spent some time together in the dormitory and you must know that the walls are really rather thin, despite the huge ass fee they demand for their 'first class service'." He spat, bracing himself, and continuing a bit calmer and graver, "Valentine is right, every word he said, and I can prove it. This is for Tseng."

And with that he held up his cellphone, pushed a button and the voice of General Sephiroth echoed very clearly through the now utterly quiet court room, resonating right into the 70 percents of the households that were watching this historical trial.

_"Well, whatever this man told you, you should not pay too much attention to it. Teachers these days are so full of suspicions. You are an intelligent young man, I'm sure you are aware of the nature of those accusations, mh? We both know that this is ridiculous. Now, be a good boy and get your things together, it's getting dark and I'd like to be home before nightfall."_

_"Did you know? The maximum penalty for child abuse is twenty years. But I'm sure you know that, given your position. I'm wondering what people would say if they found out about our 'little games'. Not to forget your superiors. Or the media. Hm, yes, I think you could manage to get the full twenty years…"_

_"You ungrateful little punk. Child abuse, is it? You haven't even seen me getting started, but rest assured that I will teach you a lesson you won't forget."_

_"Touch me and I'll scream. I'm wondering how that would make you look."_

_"Who do you think you are?! You are nothing but an insignificant, powerless brat. No one will ever believe you."_

_"I have at least three witnesses. And I am rather confident that any psychologist will attest me at least depression, withdrawal and personality disorders. If I want to, I can make sure that you'll never walk the earth as a free man again. I can take away from you whatever I want. Your job, your belongings, your prestige. Your life. As you can see, I am well informed about my rights. However, I might be willing to change my perspective. Under one condition."_

_"And what might that be?"_

_"Fuck me like you did yesterday. I don´t need consideration. I need to feel. Give me that again. "_

_"I see. Quite a naughty boy, aren´t you? Well, I am positive we can find an agreement, I was tired of pretending to care if I hurt you anyway. Rest assured that I´ll fuck the living daylights out of you whenever I feel the need to. "_

_"I see we have an agreement then…"_

_"Not quite my dear. I think you owe me some compensation for all the inconveniences you put me through."_

_"And what would that be?"_

_"For one you will relieve me of the nerve-wrecking antics of your spawn. They are your responsibility now and if they only do so much as mutter another word I will have a new, human skinned floor lamp, I believe. I do not care how you do it, just silence them."_

_"Fine."_

_"Good boy… Now, as for the second matter: you will take care of that annoying teacher of yours."_

_"Tseng?"_

_"Whatever. He knows too much and I don´t need some wanna-be-hero minding my business. Besides, he irritates me… 5 ml of Tetrocharybaicatoxin_ _should be enough to solve the matter."_

_"… What is that?"_

_"Just something Hojo cooked up for me. It´s a lethal toxin, leaves no traces. Quite convenient actually. Make sure he drinks it, it will look like a natural death. I will have one of my men take care of the autopsy anyway. Oh, and I wish that you watch his death struggle. It improves character… Can you do that?"_

_"Absolutely."_

_"Well, it seems we have an agreement then. Come here, give me a kiss… Good boy, now go get your things and gather your spawn. This has already dragged on far too long. And you don´t want to miss the test drive for the new bike I took the liberty of purchasing, do you?"_

_"Never!"_

_"That´s my kitten…"_

The audio file stopped with a click. And then all hell broke lose.

Tbc

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**Yah... it all comes together in the end: Do not worry, Reno´s motivs will be explained in the next and final chapter.**

**dreamysherry:** Oh dear, I must so apologize to you first: I am sorry I didn´t reply to you the last time, somehow I missed it :(( But thank you so much for your review! I´m happy you like my Yazoo, I love it when he is badass XDD And somehow I always sympathized with the bad guys, since I can think! They really are so much more interesting...

**Valitiel: **Hey! Ah well, it is not clear if Yazoo really has a disorder, it is just what Reeve suspects anyway... Whatever the reason why Yazoo is like he is it doesn´t change the fact that he is what he is :)

**natzilla:** Haha, poor thing! But you know, I think I can understand that a bit. I think I might be pretty thrifty with my emotions as well, unless it comes to the few people I really worthy of emotional effort. But back to your review: yes, it is pretty sad actually. Everyone is more or less pushed around by fate and circumstances and their own misery. I think Seph is a very pained man, and though he desperately craves for a normal life, the self-destructive and broken part of his self just cannot overcome the hate and anguish... *sigh* hehe, but it is indeed how I love him most: ebooooool XD

**Soyna:** Yes, Yazoo know what Sephiroth´s ultimate goal is, it is how Sephiroth got him to side with him. I doubt that Yazoo understands on an emotional level what they are about to do; since he cannot feel he doesn´t care if people die. But Sephiroth promised him that the impact of that event would be so great that even Yazoo most come to feel it eventually, and that is what Yazoo wants. He has no real concept what feeling is, so far he only experienced (painful) pleasure, and so he does not know painful pleasure. It´s like when you only know the taste of sweet you expect everything to taste sweet, because you just have no concept of any other taste... I hope that explained it a bit :)

**oztan:** Ah yes, Yazoo knows all about Sephiroth´s plans, that´s why he works with him. I am not sure if Yazoo´d feel anything if his brothers died, but he might feel their loss, as if there was something missing. Like if you lost your watch or so; you might automatically look at your empty wrist for another few days but then you forget it eventually or you buy a new one. You are right, Yazoo usually does not like change. However with Sephiroth he is confident that it will be a change only to his advantage and since Sephiroth takes care of everything this is very convenient for Yazoo.

**wildfire sniper:** You´re sooo sweet! Thanks for the two reviews!!! Haha, I hope you don´t get caught at school for reading fanfiction XD I had concipated this story to take a full circle back to 'Abuse' so this is not just an attached story, but more or less the second part to make the whole picture complete, and I am glad you think that I succeeded! I think the insight into Sephiroth´s and Yazoo´s relationship was very long overdue XDD But I couldn´t spoil it just then, haha. Thanks again dear!!!

**Rina:** I hoped the flashback would explain a lot! I left you in the dark long enough. It is perfectly fine that you cannot like Yazoo here or sympathize with him, it was not my intention to make him a likeable character. He´s above sympathy and pity, because as you said: he´s simply dead inside and he doesn´t care about much. I am happy however that you care what happens to Kadaj (and Berny XDDD), Zack, Reno, Vincent and Loz. They are the stark contrast to Yazoo, highly emotional and they do care indeed. Thank you for your honesty and the continued support *hugs*

**IA1979:** Gnaraharahar, beware the puppy eyes of dooooom, my world domination is clooose XDDD That is funny indeed, but I love it! Okay, here´s the long promised (almost) nekkid Sephiroth (and this pic is not mine *cough*): .com/art/Sephiroth-74089139 So I hope you will vote for him still, he desperately needs some support now XDDD And I am really happy that you found the chapter good and intense, I hope you like this one too^^

**Review please?**


	36. Chapter 36

**Welcome to the last chapter! I thank Chephren and Natzilla for the wonderful betaing again, you so rock girls :***

**Enjoy!  
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36  
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Reno didn´t even listen to the tape. He had heard that conversation so often already, he knew it inside out. When he had heard it the first time, accidentally and muffled through the walls of his room, he had sneaked closer, curiosity getting the better of him, and leaned his ear against the wall. The first words had startled him so much that he was frozen to the spot; then he had quick-wittedly pulled out his cell and recorded the rest of it, while his jaw dropped lower and lower. Even though he had known and seen a lot, this was so unbelievable, so _fucked-up_, that Reno had dismissed it in the end as something that couldn´t be. He had told himself that he hadn´t heard the beginning of their conversation, didn´t know the context, and that maybe he had just misinterpreted it…

When he had heard of Tseng´s death, the guilt had been overwhelming. Reno´d blamed himself night after night, hour after hour for not preventing it, for having done _nothing! _He contemplated many times going to the police with his tape, but then he had decided not to. He didn´t trust the police and hadn´t Sephiroth said himself that his people´d take care of it? It was too dangerous, he couldn´t let the only evidence he had fall into the hands of the enemy! Who knew what they´d do to him too…

No, he had decided to stick to a simple tactic: hiding in plain sight. Getting near the enemy to be out of the line of fire. He had befriended Yazoo even though every second he spent with the murderer, he had felt like scratching his eyes out, tearing his belly open and shitting right in his damn girly face! But he hadn´t, he had kept his feelings under wraps and pretended that he was fine. He´d waited for his chance to find hard evidence, for a slip-up or something…

When he had read about Vincent in the newspaper, however, it had been enough. Sephiroth´s statement that he would do everything to insure that the man was punished for the 'outrageous' crime Valentine most likely hadn´t committed (unlike the Great General himself) had pushed Reno past his limits of the tolerable.

He had decided to finally take action and reveal the true face of the nation´s hero and his deranged son to the whole world.

Reno knew that under no circumstances would his tape be admitted as hard evidence; as a matter of fact, now technically Sephiroth could even sue him for violation of his private sphere. But it didn´t matter; the world had heard it, it was broadcasted live around the globe and there was no doubt whose voices had been heard just now. No matter how one looked at it, there was no way Sephiroth could get away with it. His plans had been spoiled and presidency had just slipped from his tight grasp. Hopefully they´d lock him and the other psycho away… At least their careers were over.

All eyes and cameras had been on him at the beginning, but then, as the tape proceeded, they had shifted towards the family of silver heads. From the witness stand, Reno had a good view on every one of them.

Vincent, the victim of it all, first looked incredulous, his face falling, and then it turned grim and really frightening.

Reeve, who sat behind him, just put a hand on his shoulder, probably to deter the man from going after Sephiroth and ripping him apart.

Highwind simply stood in front of the witness stand, mouth hanging open. He had had no idea that Reno would pull such a stunt, the redhead had texted him only an hour ago or so, telling him to call him in since he had evidence that´d exonerate Vincent.

Rufus Shinra showed a variety of expressions, his eyes growing larger and larger by the second, glistening with utter disbelief, disgust, glee and triumph. Reno wasn´t sure if he wanted to vote for that man either, it seemed the alternative to Sephiroth wasn´t that much better…

His gaze drifted over the spectators who pretty much sat there with their jaws on the floor, respectively looking from the little cellphone to the silver haired men and back.

Sephiroth´s family attorney was too shocked to react as well, otherwise he´d certainly have objected.

The judge was frozen to the spot, hammer held up as if he couldn´t decide if he wanted to stop this or hear more.

Zack looked utterly shocked, his eyes widened in disbelief. Lieutenant Cloud Strife looked pretty much the same, his mouth hanging open, gaze uncertainly shifting between Reno and his cell phone and the General.

Elena clung to Kadaj´s hand, a pained sob escaping her in the middle of it and then she let go of him and clasped her hands over her ears, squeezing her eyes shut in horror.

Loz sat there with his jaw clenched, hands balled into fists. He stared at the back of Yazoo´s head as if trying to make it explode.

Kadaj seemed utterly lost, and Reno actually felt sorry for the two brothers. They seemed like okay people, especially Kadaj, and he´d have wanted to spare them, but they needed to know the truth as well.

Yazoo simply sat there, eyes narrowed. He looked very much like he didn´t know what the appropriate reaction to this situation was, and eventually shifted his eyes towards his father, looking for instructions.

Sephiroth himself blinked, as if he was not believing what was going on here at all, and it gave Reno the greatest satisfaction he´d ever felt. He could see that the man was slowly starting to realize that it was over, that he´d just been exposed as what he was to the entire nation. And when he did so, his expression became downright homicidal.

The tape stopped and Sephiroth was up, growling, "You. Worthless. Scum." He jumped over the desk, was halfway to the witness stand, eyes mad with fury. His hands reached for Reno´s throat to strangle and choke the boy till his eyes popped out and his throat busted, but quick-wittedly, one of the guards reacted and shouted, "Watch out!", before he drew his gun and pressed it against the great General´s temple. The audience had stood up in turmoil, screaming and heatedly shouting into the room.

Reno had ducked on reflex and looked up again as a guard protectively and grimly came to his side to get him out of harm's way if necessary while pointing his gun at the stock still, frighteningly growling General as well. Without that gun, Reno would have been a bloody smear on the floor by now.

Vincent and Reeve were already on their way to the witness stand as well, trying to help to get the situation back under control.

Amidst the chaos, Yazoo suddenly stood up from his chair, hands on the table, face going alarmingly pale, and started to gasp for air, head falling back, eyes rolling wildly.

Then he just fell and started to violently twitch on the floor, white foam building on his lips.

It was enough to draw the people´s attention to him; Kadaj cried out and climbed over the barrier to get to his brother, despite Loz´harshly spoken order to stay put. One of the guards, who had also drawn his gun, pointing it at Sephiroth, hastily put it back and came running towards the spasming youth, kneeling by his side and trying to find out what was wrong with him.

"Stay here," Vincent briefly instructed Reeve, who just nodded and turned to Reno, and then the Inspector hurried towards Yazoo as well.

Before he could reach him however, the youth´s eyes snapped open. In the blink of an eye, he had snatched the gun from underneath the guards jacket and drawn his arm around Kadaj´s neck, who´d knelt by his side, screaming his name in agitation.

With a click of the safety being unlocked, the muzzle was pressed against the confused boy´s temple, and the expressionless gaze of Yazoo met with Vincent´s.

"Drop the weapons."

Kadaj´s eyes widened as he felt the cold metal against his head, and he looked up at the Inspector, silently asking for explanations of what was going on, why his brother was almost choking him.

The room had become utterly silent again; everyone frozen to the spot.

"Well, well," Vincent intoned softly, lifting his hands up slowly, to show that he meant no harm. His eyes briefly flickered to the confused youngest brother and then he harshly bellowed at the other guards "Drop your guns already!"

After a moment of hesitation, they complied, not knowing how serious they should take the teenager holding his own brother hostage.

"Ya-yazoo, what are you doing?" Kadaj sobbed, tugging at his brother´s sleeve to loosen the arm around his neck, but the grip became even stronger.

Zack, who had also come forward to help, stood there, helplessly. Elena sobbed behind her hand, eyes wide. She looked as if she had just lost her mind.

Reno watched the scene from behind the witness stand with grimly narrowed eyes darting from Yazoo to his baby brother and back to Sephiroth.

The General, now free again, slowly backed away, going back to Yazoo with cold rage still boiling in his mad gaze. "Good boy."

Yazoo just tilted his head, waiting for his father to reach him before he carefully stood up, never taking his eyes from the guards while pulling his overwhelmed little brother up with him.

"Let him go immediately, asshole!" Loz growled from behind the three silverheads, protectively standing in front of his sobbing girlfriend, eyes fierce and ablaze with outrage. "You fuckin´ son of a bitch, let go of my brother NOW!"

The cameras silently kept filming.

"Y-yazoo, you´re hurting me…" Kadaj whimpered, tears streaking down his little face.

"Shut up," was the coolly spoken reply from the General, Yazoo not even batting an eyelash at Loz´ furious insults.

"It is over…" Vincent slowly, calmly said with intensity. He was trying to avoid a blood bath here. He was not sure how far Yazoo´d really go, if he´d really harm his brother, but he assumed the worst case scenario. "You cannot get out of here. Don´t be stupid, you only make it worse." Judging from the insanity radiating from Sephiroth, the sheer rage that emitted from him in waves and the craziness in his eyes, he knew there was no talking to the man.

His maniacal gaze was still glued to the redhead, but shifted over to Vincent as the Inspector spoke, growing even more hateful.

Valentine had no idea what was going on in the man´s head right now, but he wouldn´t have wanted to know for anything.

His own eyes drifted back to Yazoo, hoping that he´d at least get through to the kid.

"You are clever, Yazoo, you surely realize that this is futile, don´t you? Put the gun away, you don´t want to hurt anyone." He paused, adding with an intense look into the boy´s eyes, "you can still get out of here. He made you do it, he put pressure on you, we all heard it, and you´re still a minor. I´m sure we can figure something out, can´t we, Judge Hollander?" His sharp gaze fell onto the bearded man, who quickly closed his mouth and hurried to nod.

"Let go of your brother, Yazoo, this is not your trial…"

He had to shoot Loz a look, warning him to stay back as the young man balled his fists and made a step forward. Shaking his head at him, he motioned for him to stay out of the way and Loz grudgingly complied even though right now, he´d have loved nothing more than beating his so called 'brother' into a bloody pulp! The traitor…

Vincent inwardly sighed with relief when Loz stepped back and concentrated on Yazoo again.

Meanwhile Sephiroth had gotten closer to the two brothers, saying gravely, "Do not listen to him. You know he lies. We can still make it. I can still show you…"

"Seph, just… stop it! You need help, don´t make it worse!" Zack had finally found his speech again. His shoulders were slumped in misery, his big eyes filled with grief and disbelief. "Look at you, that´s not you! My god, what would Angeal and Genesis say if they could see you now…"

The General gave a frighteningly hollow, barking laugh at that, making half the people in the room flinch. "They can´t… And that is the whole point of it," his voice had become grave and cold again, barely above a whisper, and it resonated with pure malice and hatred. "They died for everyone and now it is about time that everyone dies for me."

"I don´t understand…" Zack replied helplessly, shaking his head and looking utterly lost. His idol, the silver angel was standing there with broken wings and he wanted nothing more than to take them away and make him learn to fly again and be free. Free of that hatred and insanity that stained his once so pure and brave soul… he shouldn´t have left the country, he should have stayed with his friend. How could he not have seen that Sephiroth had constantly, surely wandered down the dark path to madness?! What kind of a friend was he to walk away when his beloved ones needed him most?! "I´m so sorry, Sephiroth, can´t we try to figure it out somehow?" It was a desperate, childish plea and he knew it the moment he sensed the reluctance coming from his former friend. They were too far gone.

The General didn´t even answer the question. He´d shut off. Lifting his chin, long hair cascading down his straight back, he said towards Yazoo´s direction, "Let´s go."

"Ya- Yazzy…" Kadaj pleaded, his eyes turning red, watering. He didn´t quite understand what was going on, just that it was bad and that his brother hurt him by holding him like that. "Le-let me go pl-please," he hitched. He wanted to go home now!!! No one had told him that a trial was so bad!

"You have no obligations to Sephiroth. Do not let him drag you down with him," Vincent intoned again, almost like chanting a prayer. "Let go of your brother."

For a moment it was so silent in the room, one could hear a pin drop. All eyes were fixated on the three figures in the centre of the courtroom:

Kadaj with his reddish, wet face; Sephiroth with his mad, furious gaze that was burning Vincent into a crispy, poor excuse for an Inspector; and Yazoo with his utterly blank, empty expression who stared back at Valentine with just as vacant eyes as if they were alone in the room.

And then he made a step back towards Sephiroth, pressing the nuzzle of the gun harder against Kadaj´s head.

"Good boy."

The crowd parted for them as they slowly made their way to one of the side doors. They were met with glares of quiet resentment, disgust and disappointment; hatred even.

It did not matter to either of the two.

Sephiroth was busy trying to wrap his mind around the concept that something awful had happened that had thwarted his grand plans for peace, to deal with the bottomless despair and anger that flashed through him, because he would not find relief.

Kadaj started to silently cry again, his vision blurring, as he was pushed forward. He could see the sick worry in Loz´and Zack´s faces, as well as the hard expression of the 'black man', as he had silently dubbed Vincent.

Reno was aghast, looking utterly miserable. That surely wasn´t what he had wanted. All he had tried to achieve was exposing Sephiroth and Yazoo for what they were and save innocent people, not get them into trouble and risk their lives! Reno had absolutely no doubt that Yazoo would shoot Kadaj. As far as he knew, this guy had no scruples at all.

Vincent had to order the security through a very pointed glare to stay put while the cameras silently filmed the party´s retreat.

"When we enter the hallway, I will see no guard and no living soul, or this child is dead," Sephiroth´s deep voice echoed through the full hall in a menacing tone, but it was only meant for Valentine. After a moment, the Inspector grimly nodded, seeing no other way. He took the radio from one of the helpless guards and gave his clipped instructions.

"This is Valentine. I am certain that by now you already know what is going on in here, since it is broadcasted live all over the globe. You heard the man: stay away. The kid´s security has top priority, do you hear me?" He waited a long moment packed with tension, until finally there was a crackle and a clear "_Understood."_

Vincent looked back towards the three silver heads, slowly shaking his head at Yazoo, telling him that there was no use in escaping.

"Try to run. It doesn´t matter. I will get you. You can´t get rid of me."

But the door only shut close behind them and then they were gone.

*

Yazoo hurried with Kadaj in his arm down the hall after his father. He was confused. Sephiroth seemed as if control had slipped from his grip. Thoroughly. There was no way they´d get away with that, their faces were known world wide. So what he should have done was hand Kadaj over and blame it all on his father. Valentine´s reasoning had sounded perfectly plausible. What Yazoo was doing right now was utterly irrational.

Sephiroth and his insanity were leading him to the slaughter like a sacrificial lamb.

He kept running.

*

"Get the people out of here!" Vincent shouted, as the crowd finally came out of its state of shock and started buzzing and screaming and crying again. It seemed that with the shutting door, a spell had been broken and chaos was breaking out again, Thankful that they had something to do again, the guards retrieved their weapons from the ground and began to escort the shocked people out of the court room. Vincent quickly went to Reno, who was supported by Reeve, looking very pale and miserable.

"You did nothing wrong," he quickly told the red headed youth, taking the time to squeeze his shoulder and giving Reeve a nod, before he went over through the crowd to see how Loz and the rest of the family was doing. The young man was holding his crying girlfriend in his arms, while Zack tried to console them and Elena at the same time, looking completely helpless and smitten himself.

"Are you all right?" It was a redundant question, because apparently they were NOT okay. But Vincent had to make sure they didn´t need any immediate care.

Zack took a deep breath. He was a trained soldier after all, and no matter how deeply troubled and affected and worried he was, he had to make sure that the others got all the help they could. "I think Loz and Tifa are okay so far, we just need to get them out of here. I think Elena is having a nervous breakdown, she won´t stop sobbing and doesn´t hear me. She might need an ambulance," he shouted through all the hysterical noise around them. People were all trying to get out at once, ignoring the guards´pleads for some order and consideration.

Vincent nodded after a short look at the blond woman. She sat hunched at the very edge of the bench, rocking back and forth with glassy eyes, sobbing and gagging.

"Get her out of here through the other side door!" he instructed back over the noise, looking at Loz who gently stroked over Tifa´s back, looking helpless and incredibly furious at the same time. "And take them with you," he lowered his voice. "We don´t need another tragedy. Make sure Loz stays somewhere put. Get him into a police car if necessary."

With an unsure look at the bulky young man, Zack nodded and gathered Elena in his arm. "Let´s go," he softly said towards Loz. "We need to get your girlfriend to a safe place."

Surprisingly quickly, Loz complied, gently pushing the girl with him. Vincent was relieved that at least this matter was taken care of, when his gaze glided over the crowd and he turned back around towards Zack.

"Wait. Where´s the other blond?"

*

"We need to get to my car. It´s bullet proof."

Sephiroth was leading the way, his mind frantically occupied with sorting out this mess. So he had been set up. Fine. It didn´t matter. What mattered _now_ was that he got out of here to another place. Somewhere safe. His house didn´t have an alarming system… A strangely amused snort escaped him. This was all so ludicrous.

His downfall. Caused by a potty mouthed punk.

His silver hair hung into his face, eyes widened and a strange smirk playing around his lips.

Just a safe place. They could restart from there. This battle might be lost, but the war wasn´t. Oh it so wasn´t. He would show them. He would make them bleed, every single one of them…

After he got out.

And he certainly would if only this damn whining stopped! Irritated, he stopped and twirled around, growling, "Shut him up, will you?!"

Yazoo simply looked down at his sobbing brother. "Be still," he instructed, but with not much success.

"Of all the possible hostages you had to take-" Sephiroth stopped his snapping. He closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly to collect his thoughts.

"Why are you doing this? Leave my brother alone!" Kadaj hitched, his small face frightened and still confused, but he felt that it wasn´t really Yazoo´s fault and that it was unfair of Sephiroth to snap at him.

The General seemed a bit taken aback for a moment, before his eyes dangerously narrowed again. He was beyond control now; he neither had control over the situation nor himself.

He felt he was being thrown back into the state that he so frantically tried to avoid and face all the time: helplessness. Loss of direction. With no greater goal to achieve, he was lost…

While Sephiroth was absorbed in the turmoil of his own misery, Kadaj took the chance to look up at Yazoo, whispering in a rushed manner, "Yazzy, we gotta run from him, he´s mad! You have the gun…" He nudged his brother in the side and threw him another pressing, pleading look.

Yazoo looked back at Sephiroth, who was still staring into thin air with a withdrawn, angry expression, hissing, "I can´t die yet!"

"… Be still." The youth mechanically repeated. "The car," he then said into Sephiroth´s direction, shifting his weight.

Kadaj observed his brother with his mouth hanging open. Then his face changed into something undefinable as it finally dawned on him…-that Yazoo didn´t care a damn about him. This was no mistake. This was no accident. Yazoo wasn´t sick. He had deliberately deceived Kadaj.

Yazoo really rather chose a deranged, sadistic, deceiving psycho freak over his own brother who loved him more than anything.

Closing his mouth, Kadaj tried to take a step back. Yazoo was still holding him.

Snapping out of it, Sephiroth knitted his brows, and said, more to himself,

"We need to get to the car."

Yazoo didn´t say anything. Just pressed his lips together. He should shoot him. He had read somewhere that big animals got shot when they were beyond recovery. _Coup de grace_.

Instead, his grip tightened around Kadaj´s shoulder.

*

Cloud was marching down the corridor at a fast pace. With one sleeve, he wiped over his puffy eyes, because the tears were hindering his vision. He needed to see.

He had to make things right again.

He turned around a corner and abruptly stood. There they were.

His gaze turned steely, and suddenly Cloud felt very calm.

He lifted his arm.

"It´s all your fault."

He pulled the trigger to erase the damn silver head that was the cause of their downfall.

He had sworn to always serve Sephiroth, no matter which way he had to do it.

Cloud would make it all better.

*

"DON´T!"

Yazoo looked up and then there was a very loud sound he could not identify. Something swirled before him, something black and silver.

The next moment that something heavily dropped before his feet. Sephiroth was dead before he even hit the floor.

A dull push made Yazoo look down. His gaze drifted from the white, tiled floor over to empty emerald eyes, then to the tip of his own shoes. His gun had clattered to the floor as he held his chest. His hands were so red…

His eyes darted back to the floor again as his vision shifted and went vertical.

Sephiroth became right again, because he was standing again (or was Yazoo falling?).

_"Daddy, what is loneliness?" His father would laugh, crouch down and stroke over his serious face. "Well, you surely ask strange questions, buddy!" He´d look thoughtful for a moment and then start smiling (which Yazoo quickly mirrored). "Let´s see…_

He could see Cloud gasp, falling to his knees. The blond stared down at Sephiroth, crying

"Sir!!! Why did you step in?!"

Then he looked up at someone small beside Yazoo (he had forgotten his name), and informed this person with a tortured sob,

"I didn´t want to shoot _him. _Yazoo, I only wanted to hit _Yazoo_!"

Then the rims of his vision darkened and Yazoo closed his eyes.

Loneliness is a green polygon floating in infinite darkness.

**.end**

* * *

**It is done. I feel pretty exhausted**, **and a bit empty, since this whole story accompanied me for over two and a half years and it is strange seeing it all come to an end now**... **But all things must come to an end eventually, I guess. Why did I kill them? Because there really was nothing to achieve for them anymore; only death could bring relief. **

**sareyva**: Hey there ^^ Luckily Reno got enough courage to save Vincent! He really didn´t deserve to go to prison for a crime he hasn´t comitted! However I´m afraid Reno just didn´t quite expect how things were going in the end… Hope you liked it!

**Oztan**: Haha, yes, sorry for the evil cliffy XD I wanted people to really look forward to the last chapter ;) In the end you could say that, yes, Sephiroth and Yazoo had each other´s back. Sephiroth tried to save Yazoo and Yazoo went with Sephiroth even though it wasn´t logical and wise to him.

**Rina:** Chrchr, I suspected you´d like it XD Yes, Vincent is a good man and really didn´t deserve this humiliation. Now I guess it came right back at Yazoo and Sephiroth… I suppose Yazoo and Sephiroth did pay for it in the end. Yazoo really wasn´t a good brother and I suppose he was beyond any help. In the end he might have understood however, even though it was too late.

**Soyna:** Thank you XD Yes, I love twists and turns and try to not be predictable in the plot, so I am very happy it worked! Hopefully you find Reno´s motives plausible!

**IA1979:** Haha, yes, poor Reno for getting shitty surnames, but somehow he had to get one, otherwise it´d have sounded awkward XD Did you have german at school? :D You were spot on about Sephiroth and Yazoo´s reactions! Oh, sorry about the link, I forgot that ff is being a bitch about that! It is http//:www . deviantart . etc I hope you liked the ending of the story!!

**Wildfire Sniper:** *hugs back* Thank you so much! And the longest review? Wow, I feel honoured!!! I hope the reactions you were waiting for didn´t disappoint XD

**Valitiel:** Ah, Reno taped the conversation in 'Abuse', when Sephiroth and Yazoo were talking at the dorms. And for the reasons above he didn´t come out with the truth until now. I´m glad you didn´t have to cry and Vincent didn´t have to go to jail!!!

**Natzilla:** Yes, poor Elena, her life might be destroyed *sigh* I bet she does feel guilty… Well, since Seph and Yaz died, there really is no more need for treatment, but I think at least they understood in the end. That is, Sephiroth overcame his selfishness by trying to save Yazoo, and Yazoo finally understood/felt emotion.

**Thank you Aiko Celeste, alienvampirefreak, allicatters, anonymous339, Bishieaya, Boehmei, Brittany, Brose, Crippled Angel, cotton, dreamysherry, FlawedImagination,IA1979, Incog nito, LadySephiroth030490, leyna, Lilly Bri, LuciusM101, Nexess, oztan, Rina, Saeth Ceirwyn, sareyva, Shiva Rajah, SHM´s Lover, silenceinlight, Silver Tears 11, sir twigsalot, skippydog1, Starfire-Sangraal, Steelstar, Soyna, Valitiel, Vypper, WeaselBlossom, whitelanc3r, Wildfire Sniper, XwinterX, Xyleel, YazooValentine, YinYangWhiteTiger for reviewing, faving and subscribing!!!**

**And especially purefoysgirl, jsakurachan1, natzilla and chephren for their awesome betaing and their patience *huggles***

**Well then, that´s mostly it folks XD There´ll be an epilogue next time and then we´re done ;) I´d love to hear your final thoughts on that story, if you don´t mind telling me! Thank you for reading!!!**

**~BMIK**


	37. Chapter 37

**Welcome to the really, really, really last post in this story. Thanks again for all your awesome reviews and especially to Chephren for betaing again!!!**

* * *

Trials of Living - Epilogue

"And as the recent events have shown it is mandatory that we provide psychological assistance to all our soldier-"

Tiredly, Zack pushed the off button and the TV showed him a dark screen instead of the third rate 'expert' that had to throw in his two cents about the 'recent events'. It was three months now and still the press hadn´t calmed down or left them alone…

At least, for the sake of the boys, they had found a safe place, unknown to the media, so Kadaj and Loz could get some rest and start something like a continuation of their lives. Zack was relieved that they seemed to take it relatively well, as the case may be. Loz was pretty quiet all the time and a bit aggressive. He certainly blamed himself, but Tifa seemed to be his pillar of strength and Zack was happy that she was there to console her boyfriend. She was a strong, gentle girl that had the guts to keep Loz in check when his helpless anger went too far. He also cried a lot.

Kadaj had become very pale and Zack was under the impression that he was still in a state of shock. It was as if the boy hadn´t really realized what had happened and how much his life had now changed. On one hand, Zack was a bit relieved, because Kadaj was spared the mental torment, but on the other hand, it´d all come crashing down on him later.

At least the boys had been given to Zack to care for. Reeve came almost every day, providing psychological assistance and mental support. Even Vincent had come once, but Kadaj had attacked him with his little fists and placed the blame entirely on him so they had agreed that, for now, it was better if he gave the children some time to adjust to the situation. If they ever did…

They hadn´t gone to the funeral. Well, at least Kadaj and Loz hadn't. The latter had strongly refused to go and Kadaj was still too young, Zack decided. He would take him to his brother´s grave later, whenever he wanted, but for now it was too much.

Zack however had gone. To avoid total chaos, it had been decided that both Yazoo and Sephiroth be cremated and their ashes scattered. Only the closest family members had been allowed to attend to the secret internment.

Since Sephiroth hadn´t had a family beside Zack, he´d been only one of two people in attendance. Cloud might have come, if he hadn´t been so utterly devastated. He was celebrated as the new hero, but Zack was very much doubted that his friend appreciated it.

Vincent had been there too.

Two simple gravestones, Rest In Peace. Zack really hoped they had now found peace.

He had managed to get the both of them, Sephiroth and Yazoo, next to each other. He had wished to get them together, all of them into the crypt of The Fallen, where Angeal and Genesis rested as well, but Sephiroth wasn´t a hero anymore and everyone quickly had distanced themselves from the crazy General and his just as deranged child...

Zack didn´t care. He knew both sides of his friend and even though he despised the last he had gotten to know he was still convinced that the first had never really died. Overshadowed maybe, but the fact that Sephiroth had stepped in the way of the bullet that had been supposed to be solely for Yazoo, told him that there still had been _something_ human inside his friend. Something that maybe still cared. It was unfortunate and maybe a case of poetic justice, that the bullet had pierced the General and hit Yazoo in the chest still. Maybe it was for the best though; it had been a painless, quick death.

He and Vincent had been standing there, silently. There were no words of comfort.

At some point, Vincent had left. Zack stayed, standing in his spot under a high weeping willow in the farthest corner of the cemetery. He´d stayed there until the sun had gone down and the warm, light breeze turned chilly.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Zack gulped down the lump in his throat and got up from the sofa.

He went down the corridor, stopping first to listen if everything was all right behind Loz´door. It was late, but Zack had trouble finding sleep lately. For the last three months to be exact.

Only muffled snoring.

The former soldier went further down the corridor, to his own bedroom.

He made a short stop at Kadaj´s door, to listen, but no sound was to be heard. Quietly, he pressed down the handle and glanced in to the dark room.

"You all right?"

Kadaj was sitting in his bed, knees hugged to his chest. He looked back at Zack when the door opened.

"I´m fine.", he replied dully, slowly blinking. "Just can´t sleep."

Sighing, Zack watched the child a moment longer, before he softly asked,

"Nightmares again?"

"Nope, just can´t sleep." Kadaj mirrored his bestest friend´s half hearted smile; it was just as empty.

"'kay."

The door closed again, and again it was dark in the room. A moment later, Kadaj could hear Zack vanishing inside his own room.

"What is wrong? You don´t want to turn on the lights?" Mockingly the General lifted an elegant brow and drew the teen in his lap closer. "It is not _that_ bad, you know. I have seen far worse during war." Sephiroth matter-of-factly flicked a bit of the scorched flesh that stained the bullet wound around the thing that had formerly been his belly with a finger. "Kitten, your brother is a wimp," he informed Yazoo dryly, and with no hidden disapproval, his eyes glittering coldly in the darkness.

"Hn." Yazoo just smirked a perfidious smile, leaning his head against his father´s shoulder and letting the man stroke over the small wound right above his heart. "Sunrise is in about five hours anyway."

Kadaj shifted his head back from the door, continued staring straight at the wall, his fingers tightening around his pyjama pants. And then he tried to ignore the two of them sitting patiently at his window sill like they had done since the last three months, wondering if they would ever leave him alone for just one moment of peace.

~Klappe zu, Affe tot

* * *

**Now, before you lynch me, let me tell you that I am planning on another sequel already *sigh* Yeah. I can´t leave it alone XD Obviously Kadaj got a little… broken from all the stress and, seeing two people die, his mind now plays tricks on him. However it makes good material for a sequel that deals with Kadaj and his imaginative brother and father. We would meet the other characters again as well and get a deeper look at how they deal with the past events now…. Anyone interested in reading it?**

**Alienvampirefreak**: Thank you very much, I´m glad too that you found it again!

**Natzilla:** Yes, here is the epilogue ^__^ Yes, Cloud thinks he has to justify his actions to someone, and Kadaj was the only one left. I think Sephiroth might have stepped in unconciously, but it still shows that he somehow cared, especially as his top priority was to survive and not die… A sad ending indeed *sigh* But thank you for finding it worthy, and for following this story, and reviewing so loyally and for your help with the betaing!!!! *huggles*

**Wildfire Sniper:** Thank you, I am glad you liked it! It was a bit difficult to find a new, unique reaction for everyone, because I think basically everyone was just D8, haha. *gladly takes cookies and offers some hot chocolate in return*

**Valitiel:** Yeah, somehow it´s always Cloud who kills Sephiroth, even if he doesn´t want to ;) Ah, what scene a few chapters ago did you mean? *curious* Yes, I suppose right now everyone feels pretty lonely and devastated –save for Kadaj. He wishes to be left alone. But things will start to slowly get better. Maybe XD Thank you for reading and reviewing!

** Sareyva:** Haha, a bang indeed XD I´m sure Kadaj would be very happy if you hugged him right now, he really needs some love *sigh* Thank you so much for your great review and I am really happy you enjoyed it!

**Soyna:** Yes, everyone is miserable because of Sephiroth and Yazoo and the two of them sneaked out from taking responsibility via death… Usually things don´t go as planned and especially the small things that are thought of being insignificant turn out to be trouble in the end… Thank you for reading this story and for all the awesome reviews and encouragement!!!!

**IA1979:** Haha, a growd of totally stupified people must really look quite funny XDDD Ah, I can faintly imagine how you felt when Yazoo took matters into his own hands! He probably was the only one able to think clearly in this moment and make his shemes. In the end it didn´t help him though, since his logic was overridden by… well, you might say loyality to Sephiroth. Cloud really was devoted to Sephy, I suppose it all happened so fast that he didn´t have time to sort out his emotions and realize that his General was too far gone. Maybe he didn´t even want to know. It was easier to just blame it all on Yazoo… (I totally hear you about german! Even I didn´t particularly like it at school, I was always hooked on english too XD). DARRRN about the link!!! Am I assuming right that the link still doesn´t work? Despite your terrifying threat? I will try to find another nekkid Sephy pic then and send it to you via PM XDDD Thank you for reading and reviewing and especially for your very elaborate reviews, they gave me a lot of motivation to continue!

**Rina:** Hey my sweetheart! I suspected that you would have been unsatisfied ;) And it really wouldn´t have been plausible. I could neber kill Kadaj however! Even though he was in the line of fire, it would not have been fair; he was pure and innocent. See, Loz is a clever guy; he knows when to leave some things to other people, even though I am very positive that he´d loved nothing more than doing as you suggested. But in the end it is better he didn´t take actions, it would have become even uglier. Cloud only heard what he wanted to hear, and he was eesperate. His whole worldview was about to crumble… Zack became the boys´ guardian indeed, but it might take a while before things get normal again, especially for Kadaj. I think too that we will never really know about Reno and if he seriously meant to kiss Yazoo out of affection, but I doubt it. It probably was a tactic to make Yazoo feel save and it did work. I dunno if they are having fun in hell, but surely they have fun in Kadaj´s broken little mind… *cough*dontkillme*cough* And you already gave me a reward with all your awesome reviews!!! Again thank you for being so honest, it gave me a lot to think about!!! (Yeah, and if all goes well you can follow the sequel of the sequel too soon XD)

**Anon:** Awww, I´m sorry!!! *hands out cookies, fluffy blande and hot chocolate* XD Ah, yes, this story isn´t really sunshine and lollipops, and well, the Renzoo didn´t really work here either… quite a dissappointment, I see XD Now I must admit I do not think that I can ever write a fic and kill Yazoo and/or Sephiroth again. Haha, don´t worry, I think Deus Ex Machina will have a happier ending! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me!!!

**Aiko Celeste:** Yes, indeed, they were hopeless, and it was an act of mercy from my side to kill them XD Thank you for reading it and I am very happy you enjoyed it!!!

**Oztan: ** Yes, you are absolutely right, I am glad this point came across! Yazoo had some form of attachment to Sephiroth indeed, and he might have just noticed during his last seconds. And Sephiroth was attached to Yazoo too, in a way; otherwise he wouldn´t have stepped in. Ah, I hope it got clear in the epilogue, but Seph and Yazoo were really unlucky, because the bulled went through Sephiroth and hit Yazoo still. I think I will write a sequel to this story and I will try to get in more Angeal and Genesis too :) Thank you for all the wonderful reviews and suggestions, they helped me a lot!

**Xyleel:** Ach herje… Naja, es ist kein wirkliches Happy End geworden. Ja, Yazoo ist tot *heul* Aber Klapse war auch nicht das wahre, und jetzt kann er ganz ungeniert und frei in Kadajs Einbildung weiter rumnölen XD Vielleicht hätte Sephy wirklich gemerkt, dass Familie das richtige für ihn ist, aber es ist ja jetzt leider zu spät. Ich weiß nicht so recht ob er wirklich schuld an allem ist. Er war wirklich mental kaputt, und ich vermute, daran waren wieder andere Leute schuld... Aber letztendlich hast du recht; er war klar genug um zu wissen, dass er die Leute um sich herum kaputt macht und für seine Zwecke missbraucht. Yazoo wusste, dass er das falsche tut, aber nicht in moralischer Hinsicht. Er wusste nur dass das was er tut kontraproduktiv ist um ihn aus der Sache herauszuhauen. Uhm und naja... Kadaj ist etwas angeschlagen jetzt, aber ich denke, er ist wieder enger mit Loz!!! Vielen Dank fürs lesen und Kommi schreiben, und ich hoffe, es war nicht zu schlimm mit dem Ende!!! *zur kekse und heiße schokolade- party mitnehm*

**(Just one last thing for those who are interested: My theme song for this story is actually this song "My Twin" from Katatonia (link: take out spaces:** http://www . youtube . com/watch?v=an-nknHiaiU ** ignore the video please. Just the music and the lyrics are relevant XD) Especially Kadaj´s POV in the last chapter. )**

The neck and then the chain  
The head is hung in shame  
I thought that you had grown  
That you would carry on  
But now that I am gone  
What else has been withdrawn

**You used to be like my twin  
And all that's been  
Was it all for nothing  
Are you strong when you're with him  
The one that's placed you above us all**

I think of love  
I let it pass  
It feels like fire  
But it won't last

What is it coming to  
I am unwilling to go on  
You have lost  
No one has won

*****

**Now I´m out.**

**Fer realz XD**

** *waves***


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